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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MA'.W  .fREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14S8(> 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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□    Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 

□    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pelliculde 


D 


n 


/ 


n 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  geographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

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D 
D 
D 
0 
D 
D 


Coloured  pages/ 
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Th( 
to 


Th 
po 
of 
filr 


Or 
be 
th4 
sic 
oti 
fin 
sio 
or 


Th 
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Til 
w» 

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di( 
en 
be 

"9 
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m« 


□ 


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Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


y 


12X 


16X 


20X 


26X 


30X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


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premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comportb  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning   "END  "), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darnidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^'  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  dtre 
filmAs  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

eyyazt/uvest 

CoUectCo/v 

■ — ^ 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA 

•VOTES    0\     rnK    (iRKAT    RKI'UBLIC    AND 
THK    XKW    DOMINION 

A     SUPPLE  MEAT     TO 


( < 


WESTWARD     BY     RAIL 


By 


VV.    FRASER    RAE 


SECOXn        E  D  I  T  I  O  X 


NEW  YORK 

(> .     P  .     P  J  '1'  N  A  M  •  S    SO  .\  S 

182  Fifth  Ave.vk 

iSy; 


jDcbication. 

TO   THK    UIOIIT    HONOURABLE 

WILLIAM   EDWARD    FORSTER,  M.P. 


Deau  8iu, — Whilo  dedicating;  this  work  to  you  with  your  jht- 
niission,  I  wisli  to  i.'xpress  my  conviction  that  few  living  statesmen 
are  more  conlially  in  sympathy  than  yourself,  alike  with  tlie  great 
colonies  of  the  IJritish  Empire,  and  the  great  country  which,  un- 
happily, has  ceased  to  form  one  of  its  grandest  members.  For 
many  years  I  have  been  engaged  in  j)reparing  a  history  of  that 
splendid  oll'-shoot  Irora  the  parent  state.  Partly  with  a  view  to 
acquire  special  information  regarding  the  early  and  local  annals  of 
the  country,  and  partly  that  I  might  be  an  eye-witness  of  a  note- 
worthy spectacle,  I  revisited  the  United  States  in  the  year  when 
the  centenary  of  their  independence  was  celebrated,  and  when  the 
event  was  commemorated  by  an  International  Exhibition.  This 
work  is  chiefly  a  record  of  what  impressed  me  the  most  during 
that  visit.  It  also  contains  the  conclusions  at  which  I  have 
arrived  concerning  the  relation  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  to  its 
jiowerful  neighbour  across  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Motherland 
across  the  Atlantic.  I  have  shadowed  forth  in  the  course  of  it  a 
new  and  simjjle  plan  for  effecting  that  closer  connexion  between 
the  English-speaking  people  of  tlio  earth  which,  in  a  memorable 
speech  to  the  meml.)ers  of  tin  Union  League  Club  of  New  York, 
and  as  memorable  an  addresu  to  the  members  of  the  I'hilosophical 
Institution  of  Edinburgh,  you  avowed  to  lie  one  of  the  strongest 
des'res  of  your  heart.      Believe  me  to  be,  laithfully  yours, 

W.   FKASER   RAE. 


184437 


-I,- 


m 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

CniDGiNo  THE  Atlantic 

CHAPTER   n. 
FnoM  TUE  Thames  to  tiie  Hud«ok 


T]rE  Empire  City 


CHAPTER   III, 


rr       r.  CHAJ'TER   IV. 

The  CiTr  of  Brothebly  Love 

rp       -,  CHAPTER   V. 

illE   LXTERJ^ATIOXAL  EXHIBITION   OK   1876 

^  CHAPTER   VI 

Philadelphia  douxo  the  Exhibition 

Ttt.  p  CHAPTER   VII. 

rii.  Phess  anb  the  People  oe  Philadelphia 

CHAPTER   Vlir 
The  District  op  Columbia   .  \ 

T,r.  r  CHAPTER   ix. 

liiE  Capital  op  the  Union  . 


TjiE  Capital  of  the  C 


PAGE 
1 


30 


44 


63 


82 


107 


127 


141 


147 


CHAPTER   X. 

OMMONWEALTH  ()!.■  Af  .  . . 


111 


8     162 


vm 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XI. 
SAliATnoA  ANO  VVest  Potnt    . 


PAGE 

18G 


CRAITEIJ    XI 1. 


Sahatooa  Sprinos 


195 


CIIAPTEK    XIII. 
A  Tuu'  TiiRorcHi  Canada 


204 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

TUE    PllOVTNCE    OF    ONTAHIO       . 


218 


CHAPTER    XV. 

TUAVELLEnS    AND    BANKERS    T\    NOHTII    AMERICA 


247 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
Impressions  op  Toronto 


.     252 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
Toronto  to  Southampton 


260 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
A  Hetuospect  and  a  Comparison 


265 


1  iiAVK  loariu'd  since  tlie  first  diiiptcr  was  in  type  tluit  the  lV.it  recounted 
iit  j)iifi;e  21-  of  the  Allan  Steamer  Prruviaii  lias  been  surpassed  by  that  of  the 
White  Star  Steamer  lirifannic.  The  latter  made  the  trip  from  the  Mersey 
to  the  Hudson  and  b;ick  in  21  days  and  7  hours  in  September,  and  in  24  days 
and  3  hours  in  Xoveinber,  1876.  I  ought  to  have  stated  at  page  27  that  Mr.  G. 
Hamilton  Klitclier  was  joint  four.der  and  is  joint  manager  of  the  Oceanic  Steam 
Navigation  Coinpiiny,  commonly  called  the  White  Star  Line. 

At  page  18,  the  British  and  American  Steam  Navigation  Company  and  the 
Great  Western  Coiiiiiany  have  been  transposed  ;  the  former  were  the  owners  of 
the  President,  and  the  latter  of  the  Oreat  Brilain  named  at  page  19. 


PAGE 

180 


■■I 


195 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


204 


218 


I. 


r.RlDGINfl    THE    ATLANTIC. 


247 


.     252 


2G0 


205 


vec'ouutcil 
I  tliiit  of  the 
^hc  Mersey 

in  24-  days 
that  Mr.  0. 
lauic  Steam 

liny  and  the 
owucrs  of 


l^ 


In  1770,  it  took  ten  days  to  go  from  Washington's 
camp  before  tlic  town  of  Boston  to  the  Hall  in  tlio 
city  of  Pliiladelpliia  Avhere  the  Delegates  from  the 
thirteen  United  Colonies  held  their  meetings;  the 
same  distance  can  be  traversed  now  in  as  many 
liours.  Less  time  is  now  required  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  than  was  expended  a  century  ago  in  jonr- 
neying  between  the  capital  of  Massachusetts  and 
the  city  of  brotherly  love.  The  shortest  letter 
which  our  forefathers  ever  sent  by  post  was  written 
in  a  longer  time  than  is  now  occupied  in  transmitting 
a  message  by  telegraph  between  the  continent  of 
Europe  and  the  continent  of  North  America.  Thus 
a  peaceful  revolution  has  been  wrought  which  is 
w^ithout  parallel  or  precedent.  Had  it  been  achieved 
at  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  revo- 
lution of  1776  might  never  have  occurred,  or  might 
have  been  accomplished  without  deplorable  shedding 
of  blood.  Certainly,  the  baleful  slaughter  at  New 
Orleans,  in  1814,  would  not  have  been  a  subject  of 
unavailing  regret. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1814,  a  treaty  of  peace 

B 


COhUMDIA    A?Jn   CANADA. 


was  sif^ncd  at  Ghent  botwccMi  tlio  IJiiitcd  States  and 
tho  United  Kingdom;  on  the  lltli  of  Febrnaiy, 
1815,  the  welcome  tidings  were  commnnicated  to 
tho  United  States  Government.  While  the  news 
was  cross'ng  the  Atlantic,  Sir  Edward  Pakenham, 
who  had  planned  the  capture  of  New  Orleans,  led  his 
force  to  be  shot  down  by  the  skilled  marksmen  whom 
General  Jackson  had  massed  behind  impregnable 
entrenchments ;  General  l?akenham  mot  his  death 
at  the  head  of  the  attacking  column  ;  Major-General 
Gibbs,  the  second  in  conmiand,  fell  also;  Major- 
General  Keane,  the  third  in  command,  was  disabled ; 
two  thousand  British  soldiers,  who  had  followed 
their  chief  "with  a  stubbornness  and  fidelity  meriting 
a  better  issue,  were  wounded  or  killed ;  the  loss  on 
the  other  side  was  six  men  killed  and  racven  men 
wounded.  This  butchery,  which  has  been  misnamed 
the  Battle  of  New  Orleans,  first  yielded  General 
Jackson  fame  as  a  hero  and  afterwards  secured  for 
him  the  reward  of  election  as  President.  The  lives 
of  many  brave  men  would  have  been  prolonged  and 
the  subsequent  history  of  the  United  States  might 
have  taken  another  direction  had  it  been  possible  in 
1814  to  flash  a  message  of  peace  through  an  electric 
cable  under  the  sea,  or  to  forward  a  despatch  over 
it  in  a  swift  Cunarder. 

Before  the  dispute  between  the  American  Colonies 
and  the  HomeGovernment  grew  embitteredand  porten- 
tous, and  when  an  amicable  adjustment  of  differences 
seemed  possible,  it  was  proposed  to  allay  the  ferment 
by  according  to  the  Colonists  representation  in  the 
Parliament  of  Great  Britain.  Such  a  proposal,  when 
made  in  1709,  was  ridiculed  by  Edmund  Burke  in  his 
trenchant  style.     Reverting  to  it  in  his  magnificent 


ne 


lII 


I 


tcs  ami 
bruiUT, 
it  I'd  to 
e  nows 
eiiliain, 
led  luH 
1  whom 
pgnnblo 
i  doiitli 
jleiierul 
Major- 
sabled ; 
bllowod 
leriting 
loss  on 
on  men 
snamed 
Gencn^al 
ired  for 
le  lives 
jod  and 

might 
sible  in 
electric 

1  over 

olonios 
Dorten- 
rences 
erment 
in  the 
when 
in  his 
lificent 


f  niilDfilNT.    THE    ATLANTrr.  3 

but  ineffectual  speccli  on  conciliation  witli  America, 
lie  told  the  House  of  Commons,  in  177'),  tliat — 
"  the  last  cause  of  this  disobedient  spirit  in  tlio 
colonies  is  hardly  less  powerful  than  the  rest,  as  it  is 
not  merely  moral,  but  laid  deep  in  the  natural  con- 
stitution of  things.  Three  thousand  miles  of  ocean  lie 
l)et\vcen  you  and  them.  No  contrivance  can  prevent 
the  effect  of  this  distance,  in  weakening  goverimient. 
Seas  roll  and  months  pass  between  the  order  find 
the  cA'ecution,  and  the  want  of  a  speedy  explana- 
tion of  a  single  point  is  enough  to  defeat  a  wholo 
system."  lie  said  in  another  part  of  the  same  S(>  ech; 
"  But  let  us  suppose  all  these  moral  difficulties 
got  over.  The  ocean  remains.  You  cannot  puin]) 
this  dr)  ,  and  as  long  as  it  continues  in  its  present 
bed,  so  long  all  the  causes  which  weaken  authority 
by  distance  will  continue."  Again  :  "  You  will 
doubtless  imagine  that  I  am  on  tlie  point  of  pro- 
posing to  you  a  sclieme  for  a  representation  of  the 
colonies  in  Parliament.  Perhaps  I  might  be  inclined 
to  entertain  some  such  thought,  but  a  great  flood 
stops  me  in  my  course.  Opjmsuit  natura — I  cannot 
remove  the  eternal  barriers  of  the  creation." 

The   ocean   has   not  yet  been  drained  dry;  the 

eternal  barriers  of  the  creation   remain  fixed   and 

intact;  but  the  swelling  deep  and  other   obstacles 

which  appeared  formidable  and  invincible  to  Burke, 

do  not  affect  us  with  like  sensations  of  impotence 

and  dismay.     Though  not  removed,  they  have  been 

fovercome   or    counteracted.     The   electric  cable  in 

';the  ocean's  bed  is  as  well  fitted  for  binding  tofrrthm' 

fthe  inhabitants  of  the  two  worlds,  as  was  Jupiter's 

Igolden  chain  in  joining  the  upper  and  lower  spheres 

|in  harmonious  union.     While  the  winds  still  blow 

•      B  2 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


as  they  list  and  tlio  billows  rage  as  of  old,  the 
steamship  carries  goods  and  passengers  across  the 
ocean  with  such  regularity  that  the  time  occupied 
can  be  calculated  beforehand ;  doing  this,  too,  at  a 
rate  of  speed  far  in  excess  of  the  highest  at  which 
Burke  ever  drove  between  London  and  Beacons- 
field.  The  great  flood  which  stopped  him  in  his 
course  can  now  be  crossed  with  ease  and  certainty. 
The  natural  force  of  water  in  vapour  has  been  found 
to  be  a  match  for  that  of  water  in  the  wave. — Natura 
invicta  natiird  vlndtur. 

Six  years  before  Burke  lamented  in  the  House 
of  Commons  that  the  Atlantic  Ocean  formed  an 
insuperable  barrier  to  rapid  intercommunication 
between  the  North  American  Continent  and  the 
British  Isles,  James  Watt  had  obtained  a  patent  for 
an  engine  with  a  double  acting  cylinder, — an  inven- 
tion which  was  the  source  of  all  the  subsequent 
improvements  which  have  rendered  steam  as  obe- 
dient as  the  lamp  of  the  magician  was  to  Aladdin, 
and  more  useful  to  mankind  than  any  power  yet 
exercised  by  a  necromancer.  The  discovery  of 
Watt  was  not  perfected  till  it  was  too  late  for  Burke 
using  it  as  an  argument  and  for  the  statesmen  of 
his  day  profiting  by  its  results. 

Two  citizens  of  the  United  States,  James  Rumsey 
and  John  Fitch,  were  among  the  earliest  experi- 
menters in  steam  navigation.  Foiled  in  an  attempt 
to  obtain  a  patent  for  his  invention  from  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  visited  England,  where 
he  obtained  one  in  1788.  His  scheme  is  not  the 
first  which  has  succeeded  better  on  paper  than  in 
practice.  M.  Brissot,  who  saw  him  in  England  in 
1789,  says  that  he  had  designed  a  steamboat  which 


'^ 


old,  the 
ross  the 
)cciipie(l 
00,  at  a 
it  which 
3cacons- 
L  in  his 
3rtainty. 
ill  found 
-Natura 

d  House 
•raed  an 
mication 
and  the 
xtent  for 
n  inven- 
^sequent 

as  obe- 
Aladdin, 

wer  yet 
)very  of 
)r  Burke 
smen  of 

Rumsey 
experi- 

at  tempt 
State 
,  where 

not  the 
than  in 
hind  in 

It  which 


BllIDGINQ    THE    ATLANTIC.  5 

would  cross  the  Atlantic  in  fifteen  days;  Rumsey 
went  to  his  grave  with  his  dream  unfulfilled.  Fitch, 
tliousfh  more  fortunate  for  a  time,  was  the  victim 
of  as  great  a  disappointment.  In  1786,  he  pro- 
pelled a  vessel  by  means  of  steam  power,  against  the 
current  of  the  river  Potomac,  at  the  rate  of  five 
miles  an  hour.  One  of  his  steamboats  plied  for  a 
time  on  the  Delaware,  where  it  was  seen  in  the 
autumn  of  1788  by  M.  Brissot,  who  doubted 
whether  it  would  prove  practically  serviceable,  as 
several  men  were  constantly  engaged  in  keeping  the 
machinery  in  order. ^  A  series  of  paddles  actuated 
by  an  engine  moved  this  boat  through  the  water 
much  in  the  same  way  that  a  canoe  is  impelled 
along  by  paddles  worked  by  hand ;  the  average 
speed  was  seven  miles  an  hour.  The  inventor 
succeeded  in  propelling  a  vessel  by  steam  power, 
but  he  signally  failed  in  getting  general  credit 
for  his  ingenuity,  or  support  from  capitalists.  Dr. 
Thornton,  who  aided  him  to  the  extent  of  his 
means,  was  jeered  at  as  a  dupe.  Sensible  men 
considered  Fitch  to  be  an  over-sanguine  projector  : 
shaking  their  heads  when  they  saAV  or  talked  about 
him,  they  said,  "  Poor  fellow  ;  what  a  pity  he  is 
crazy  !"  According  to  them,  an  indisputable  proof 
of  his  insanity  was  that  he  should  have  said  in 
writing,  when  requesting  the  loan  of  £50,  wherewith 
to  complete  his  second  steamboat,  "  This,  sir, 
whether  I  bring  it  to  perfection  or  not,  will  be  the 
mode  for  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  time  for  packets 
and  armed  vessels."  ^ 


'  '•Xouveau  Voy.'igo  tlans  los  Etats-Unis,  '  par  J.  1',  Brissot, 
I    vol.  i.  pp.  388,  -}39,  340. 
1        "  Sec  "lli.slory   of  Merchant  Shipping,"  by   W.  S.    Liucl.<!ay, 


COLUMDIA    AND   CANADA. 


Fitcli  is  said  to  have  built  a  yawl  in  1796,  which 
he  moved  through  the  water  by  means  of  a  screw 
propeller.  All  his  inventions  brought  him,  however, 
but  labour  and  sorrow.  Oppressed  by  penury  and 
spurned  with  contumely  by  those  who  might  have 
immortalized  themselves  if  they  had  opened  their 
purses  to  him,  he  committed  suicide  in  1798. 

Forty-five  years  after  Fitcli  had  penned  his  pre- 
diction about  crossing  the  Atlantic,  Dr.  Lardner 
delivered  a  lecture  wherein,  after  admitting  the 
possibility  of  a  steamship  making  a  trip  from 
Valentia  in  Ireland,  to  St.  Johns,  in  Newfound- 
land, he  added,  "  As  to  the  project,  however,  which 
was  announced  in  the  newspapers  of  making  the 
voyage  directly  from  Ncav  York  to  Liverpool,  it 
was,  he  had  no  hesitation  in  saying,  perfectly  chi- 
merical, and  they  might  as  well  talk  of  making  a 
voyage  from  New  York  or  Liverpool  to  the  moon." 
Upwards  of  forty  years  have  passed  away  since  this 
dictum  was  uttered  by  a  man  of  science,  yet  it  still 
continues  more  correct  to  apply  the  term  chimerical 
to  voyages  to  the  moon  than  to  -A\e  trips  of  steamers 
between  Liverpool  and  New  York. 

Priority  as  to  the  invention  of  the  steamboat  has 
been  the  subject  of  much  aimless  controversy  and 
many  unfounded  claims,  the  real  point  at  issue 
being  forgotten  and  left  unanswered  in  the  heat 
of  discussion.  Steam-engines,  or  fire-engines,  as 
they  were  originally  termed,  were  designed,  manu- 
factured and  employed  long  before  Watt  was  born. 


vol.  iv.  p.  43.  Several  facts  in  this  chapter  are  taken  from  the 
fourth  volume  of  Mr  Lindsay's  elaborate  work.  Those  readers 
who  do«ire  further  details  will  bo  amply  repaid  by  turning  to 
Mr.  Lindsay's  pregnant  and  pleasant  pages. 


BRIDGING   THE   ATLANTIC. 


)G,  wliicli 
'  a  screw 
however, 
nury  and 
gilt  have 
led  their 
S. 

his  pre- 
Lardner 
ting  the 
rip  from 
Bwfound- 
3r,  which 
king  tho 
ii'pool.  it 
!Ctly  chi- 
making  a 
I  moon." 
ince  til  is 
t  it  still 
limerical 
teamers 

joat  has 
rsy  and 
at  issue 
10  heat 
ines,    as 


J 


manu- 
is  born. 

from  tho 
so  readers 
urning  to 


Though  the  steam-engine  of  the  present  day  is  a 
very  different  machine  from  the  best  engine  which 
left  the  factory  of  Boulton  and  AVatt,  yet  the  fame 
and  service  of  Watt  are  not  lessened  by  the  sub- 
sequent advances  beyond  his  best  achievements. 
Not  the  first  projector,  but  tho  man  who  first 
renders  an  invention  workable,  is  the  man  who 
ought  to  be  thanked  and  praised.  Now  it  is 
unquestionable  that  Mr.  Symington  perfected  the 
earliest  engine  which  transformed  the  steamboat 
from  a  theory  into  a  reality.  Fitch  had  previously 
caused  vessels  to  be  propelled  by  steam  power,  but 
no  steamer  on  his  plan  has  entered  the  water  since 
lie  loft  the  world.  Symington's  engine,  on  tho 
other  hand,  is  the  model  which  has  been  followed 
by  all  succeeding  designers  of  marine  engines.  In 
November,  1788,  a  boat  propelled  by  paddle  wheels 
actuated  by  Symington's  engine  moved  across 
Dalswinton  Loch  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour. 
In  March,  1802,  a  vessel  named  the  Charlotte 
DaiidaSi  fitted  with  engines  planned  by  him,  towed 
two  barges  of  seventy  tons  burden,  the  distance  of 
nineteen  and  a  half  miles  on  the  Forth  and  Clyde 
Canal,  in  six  hours'  time  against  a  gale  of  wind. 
Tlie  Duke  of  Bridgowater,  being  pleased  with  the 
result,  ordered  eight  vessels  to  be  built  and  enginod 
on  the  same  model.  Dying  soon  after,  his  successor 
rescinded  the  order.  Deprived  of  this  patron, 
Symington  died  a  pauper. 

The  same  year  that  Fitch  went  to  his  last  home  a 
broken-hearted  and  unappreciated  inventor,  Robert 
Fulton,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  succeeded  in 
moving  a  boat  through  the  water  by  means  of  a 
screw   propeller,  which  was  actuated  by  a  steam- 


i 


'I 


8 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


engine.  Trained  as  an  engineer,  Fulton  aspired  to 
become  an  artist :  he  proceeded  to  London,  where 
he  studied  painting  under  West,  living  for  a  time  by 
tlie  scanty  product  of  his  pencil.  Eeverting  to  his 
original  avocation,  he  went  to  France  and  proposed  to 
the  master  of  the  French,  who  had  resolved  to  become 
the  conqueror  of  the  English,  a  scheme  for  propelling 
the  flotilla,  collected  at  Boulogne  for  the  invasion  of 
England,  across  the  channel  by  means  of  steam 
power.  Returning  to  England  in  1802,  after  this 
offer  had  been  declined  by  Bonaparte,  and  when  the 
second  Armada  was  dispersed  owing  to  the  aban- 
donment of  the  enterprise  for  which  it  had  been 
pompously  assembled,  Fulton  visited  Scotland,  saw 
the  Charlotte  Diindas  steamer  on  the  Clyde,  took  a 
trip  in  her  along  with  Symington,  her  designer,  and 
was  permitted  to  make  drawings  of  the  vessel  and 
her  machinery;  thereafter,  he  went  to  Birmingham, 
where  he  ordered  Messrs.  Boulton  and  Watt  to  make 
a  set  of  engines  for  him  on  the  same  model.  Cross- 
ing the  Atlantic,  he  built  a  vessel  at  New  York  in 
concert  with  Mr.  Chancellor  Livingstone,  whose  ac- 
quaintance he  had  made  at  Paris,  some  years  pre- 
viously, when  Mr.  Livingstone  was  United  States' 
Minister  there.  This  vessel,  wliicli  was  named  the 
Glermo)it,  after  Mr.  Livingstone's  country  seat  on 
the  Hudson,  was  launched  in  1807,  and  fitted 
with  the  steam  machinery  which  had  been  manufac- 
tured at  Birmingham  and  forwarded  to  the  United 
States. 

To  the  surprise  of  the  public  of  New  York,  the 
Clernwnt  moved  through  the  waters  of  the  Hudson 
at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour,  and  did  so 
despite  the    I'osistance  of  an   adverse  wind  and    a 


BEIDGING   THE    ATLANTIC. 


9 


the 
nelson 
id  so 
iiid    a 


strong  current.  Thus  the  journey  between  New  York 
and  the  capital  of  the  State  could  be  performed  by 
means  of  this  steamer  with  a  regularity  which  no  sail- 
ing craft  could  equal.  A  trip,  which  used  to  occupy  a 
space  of  time  varying  from  a  fortnight  to  forty-eight 
hours,  could  be  made,  in  1807,  within  the  space  of  a 
single  complete  day,  and  can  now  be  made  in  less 
than  ten  hours.  The  masters  of  the  sailing  packets 
tried  to  get  rid  of  a  dangerous  rival  by  running  her 
down.  This  extreme  and  hazardous  form  of  compe- 
tition was  ended  when  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  New  York  made  it  punishable  with  fine  and 
imprisonment. 

Not  believing  that  he  had  invented  anything  in 
building  and  fitting  up  this  steamboat,  Fulton  re- 
frained from  applying  for  a  patent ;  but  he  success- 
fully petitioned  the  Legislature  for  an  exclusive 
privilege  to  navigate  the  rivers  of  the  State  of  New 
York  with  steam-vessels,  during  a  term  of  years.  A 
like  concession  had  been  made  to  Fitch  in  178(3 : 
Fulton,  however,  was  unaware  of  this,  and  the  Legis- 
lators seem  to  have  forgotten  it.  Harassing  and 
wasteful  litigation  wa?:  the  only  fruit  of  the  privilege 
which  had  been  conferred  on  him,  the  result  being 
the  withdrawal  of  the  concession.  He  designed 
other  >  .ssels ;  he  invented  the  torpedo,  which  ap- 
pears destined  to  revolutionize  naval  warfare ;  he  was 
an  honour  to  his  country,  and  he  died  in  1815  a 
neglected,  a  heart-broken,  and  a  ruined  man.  After 
death,  his  countrymen  ascribed  to  him  the  sole 
merit  of  having  invented  the  steamboat,  a  claim 
which  he  himself  never  thought  of  preferring.  He 
performed  an  indisputable  service  of  scarcely  in- 
ferior value,  the  introduction  of  the  steamboat  into 


1 


•If 


10 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


the  United  States.  This  achievement  deserved  a 
more  tangible  reward  than  the  exaggerated  praise 
which  excites  controversy,  combined  with  the 
hollowest  of  all  mockeries,  posthumous  fame. 

Two  years  after  the  Ghrmont  began  to  ply  on 
the  Hudson,  the  Accommodation  steamer  ran  on 
the  St.  Lawrence  between  Montreal  and  Quebec. 
The  surface  of  three  great  rivers  on  the  American 
continent,  the  Delaware,  the  Hudson,  and  the  St. 
Lawrence,  was  furrowed  by  steam-vessels  before 
the  tenth  year  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Not  till 
1812  did  the  Cornet^  built  by  Henry  Bell,  ply  on  the 
Clyde.  There,  as  on  the  Hudson,  opposition  ren- 
dered the  speculation  unremunerative.  Henry  Bell, 
like  Symington,  Fitch,  and  Fulton,  died  in  poverty, 
the  fate  commonly  reserved  for  the  real  benefactors 
of  mankind. 

After  a  beginning  in  steam  navigation  had  been 
made,  the  progress  was  rapid.  In  1815,  a  steam- 
boat appeared  on  the  Thames;  the  public  rejoiced 
at  the  sight ;  the  watermen  denounced  the  innova- 
tion as  hurtful  to  their  interests.  In  1819,  the  first 
steamboat  crossed  the  Atlantic.  She  was  called  the 
Savannah,  and  started  from  the  city  of  that  name 
on  the  25th  of  May,  arriving  at  Liverpool  on  the 
20th  of  June.  Off  the  Land's  End  she  was  hailed 
by  Lieutenant  John  Bowie,  in  command  of  a  revenue 
cutter ;  wishing  to  board  her,  he  was  puzzled  to  see 
her  go  along  with  bare  poles  at  a  greater  speed  than 
his  own  craft  under  a  press  of  canvas,  and  he  had 
to  fire  a  gun  in  order  to  make  her  lie  to.  The 
Savannah  remained  at  Liverpool  for  a  month,  during 
which  she  was  visited  by  sight-seers  from  all  parts 
of  the  kingdom ;  thence  she  proceeded  to  St.  Peters- 


r.llIDGlNO   THE    ATLANTIC. 


11 


jvenue 
]0  see 

than 
e  bad 

The 
uriiig 
parts 
eters- 


biiro;,  starthig  on  her  return  voyage  to  the  United 
States  on  the  10th  of  October,  and  reaching  Savannah 
on  the  30th  of  November.  Soon  after,  she  was 
shipwrecked  on  Long  Island  during  a  voyage  from 
Savannah  to  New  York. 

On  the  18th  of  August,  1833,  the  Royal  WlUlam., 
which   had  been   built   at    Tliree   Rivers,    Canada, 
sailed  from  Quebec,  arriving  at  Gravesend  on  the 
11  til    of    September.      Her    voyage    would     have 
occupied  a  shorter  time,  had  she  not  been  detained 
for   three   days   at   Nova    Scotia.      This   was   the 
second  steamship  which  crossed  the  Atlantic.     Both 
had  started  from  the  North  American  continent,  the 
one  from  the  State  of  Georgia,  at  the  extreme  south, 
the  other  from  the  Province  of  Lower  Canada,  at 
the  extreme  north.     Not  till  1838,  nineteen  years 
(^        after  the  first  of  these  two  ventures,  and  five  years 
after  the  second,  did  a  steamer  start  from  Great 
Britain  for  the  continent  of  North  America.    On  the 
4tli  of  April  in  that  year,  the  steamer  Slrlus  left 
London,  and  was  followed  three  days  afterwards  by 
the  Great  Western  from  Bristol,  both   being  bound 
for  New  York,  which  the  former  reached  after  a 
I        passage  of  seventeen  and  the  latter  of  fifteen  days. 
The  return  voyages  were  made  in  sixteen  and  four- 
teen days  respectively.      The   Sirius  never  crossed 
the  Atlantic  again  ;   she   afterwards  plied  between 
the  Thames  and  the  Neva,  her  place  being  taken  by 
;         a   second  lloyal  William^  the  Canadian  one  having 
I        been   sold  to   the   Portuguese   Government,  which 
left   Liverpool   on  the  6th  of  July,  1838,  making 
■;         the    voyage  out    in    nineteen  and   home  in   fbur- 
I         teen   and   a   half  days.     This   Ttoyal    William  was 
the  first    of   the    steamships   which   have  brought 


12 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


the  dwellers  on  tlie  Mersey  and  tlie  Hudson  into 
regular  intercommunication. 

The  autumn  of  1838  was  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  transatlantic  steam  navigation.  Determining  to 
relin([uish  sending  the  mails  across  the  Atlantic  in 
ten-gun  brigs,  and  to  arrange  for  their  conveyance 
in  steamships,  the  Admiralty  then  invited  tenders 
for  the  performance  of  the  work.  The  partners  in 
the  Great  Western  Steam-shipping  Company  and 
owners  of  the  Great  Western  and  Great  Licerpool 
steamers,  were  confident  of  having  proved  their  title 
to  be  employed ;  however,  to  their  surprise  and 
mortification,  a  lower  tender  than  theirs  was  sent  in 
by  Messrs.  Cunard,  Burns,  and  Maclver,  and  ac- 
cepted. The  latter  firm  undertook  to  carry  the 
mails  between  Liverpool  and  Halifax,  twice  each 
way  every  month;  twice  in  every  month  between 
Halifax  and  Boston,  when  the  navigation  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  was  unimpeded  by  ice,  and  also  between 
Pictou,  Nova  Scotia,  and  Quebec,  in  return  for  an 
annual  subsidy  of  £60,000.  When  this  contract  was 
renewed  at  the  end  of  a  year,  the  subsidy  was  raised 
to  £80,000.  Not  till  1848  did  the  contractors 
arrange  to  run  steamers  between  Liverpool  and 
New  York.  From  June,  1810,  to  December,  18G8, 
the  Cunard  Company  entered  into  thirteen  postal 
contracts,  the  last,  implying  the  payment  of  a  sub- 
sidy, was  terminated  at  the  end  of  December,  1876. 
During  the  five  years  preceding  the  latter  date  the 
annual  subsidy  was  £70,000,  being  less  than  half 
what  had  been  paid  at  one  period,  and  only  £10,000 
in  excess  of  the  first  payment.  Seldom,  if  ever,  has 
the  money  of  the  nation  been  expended  to  better 
advantage.     Mr.  Samuel  Cunard,  who  had  conteni- 


I 


BHT POINT.   THE    ATLANTIC. 


13 


into 


plated  such  a  service  as  far  back  as  the  year  1830, 
was  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  To  his  foresight, 
coupled  with  the  shrewdness  and  business  aptitude 
of  his  two  Scottish  partners,  Mr.  Burns  and  Mr. 
Maclver,  is  due  tlie  most  successful  and  praise- 
worthy of  modern  sliipping  enterprises.  Sir  Hugh 
Allan,  another  colonist  of  Scottish  birth,  has  ener- 
getically followed  in  the  steps  of  his  great  fore- 
runner. 

The  four  steamers,  built  on  the  Clyde  to  begin 
the  Cunard  mail  service,  were  superior  in  all 
respects  to  those  which  the  company  had  under- 
taken to  supply ;  they  were  named  the  Br'itannia^ 
the  Acadia^  the  Caledonia,  and  the  Columhia.  On 
the  4th  of  July,  1840,  the  Britannia  left  Liver- 
pool for  Boston,  calling  at  Halifax.  She  made  the 
voyage  out  and  home  at  a  speed  of  eight-and-a- 
half  knots  an  hour.  Being  frozen  up  in  Boston 
harbour  during  the  winter  of  1844,  the  public- 
spirited  merchants  of  that  city  caused  a  channel, 
seven  miles  long  and  100  feet  wide,  to  be  cut 
in  the  ice  at  their  own  expense  in  order  that 
the  Britannia  might  reach  the  open  sea.'  Sir 
Charles  Lyell  was  a  passenger  in  this  vessel  when 
he  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1845.  Encountering  a 
hurricane,  she  weathered  it  in  a  way  which  excited 
general  satisfaction.  Among  the  passengers  "  were 
some  experienced  American  sea  captains,  who  had 


1 


'  Mr.  Linds<ay,  in  his  "  History  of  Morcliant  Shipping,"  vol.  iv. 
p.  183,  is  in  error  in  stating  that  this  incident  occurred  during  tho 
first  voyage  of  the  Britannia.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  John 
Burns  for  being  able  to  correct  this  mistake,  and  to  supply  other 
details  of  general  interest  about  tho  renowned  company  of  which 
he  is  the  accomplished  head. 


14 


COLUXiniA    AND    PANADA. 


commanded  vessels  of  their  own  round  Capo  Horn ; 
and,  being  now  for  the  first  time  in  a  steamer  at 
sea,  were  watching  with  professional  interest  the 
BrltaiDiitCH  behaviour  in  the  storm.  They  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  one  of  those  vessels,  well 
appointed,  Avith  a  full  crew,  skilled  officers,  and  good 
engineers,  was  safer  than  any  sailing  packet."' 
Charles  Dickens  made  his  first  and  memorable 
voyage  to  the  United  States  in  the  lirltannla. 

Between  this  Cunarder  and  one  of  recent  build 
the  contrast  is  marvellous.  The  Britannia  was 
built  of  wood;  the  Bothnia  is  constructed  of  iron. 
The  former  was  1,139  tons  burden;  the  latter  is 
4,535.  The  former  was  207  feet  in  length,  34  feet 
2  inches  in  breadth,  and  22  feet  4  inches  in  depth  ; 
the  latter  is  445  feet  in  length,  42  fett  6  inches 
in  breadth,  and  3G  feet  in  depth.  The  former 
carried  225  tons  of  cargo ;  the  latter  carries  3,000. 
The  former  had  accommodation  for  90  first-class 
passengers  ;  the  latter  can  accommodate  340  in  the 
saloon,  and  800  in  the  steerage.  The  nominal 
horse  power  of  the  former  was  425,  that  of  the 
latter  is  507 ;  yet  the  Bothnia^  which  is  propelled 
by  a  screw,  can  steam  at  the  rate  of  thirteen 
knots  an  hour,  whereas  the  Britannia  Avhicli  Avas  a 
paddle  steamer,  could  not  attain  the  speed  of  nine 
knots.  More  noteworthy  still  is  the  fact  that  the 
furnaces  of  the  vessel,  Avhich  is  propelled  through 
the  water  at  the  higher  rate  of  speed,  require 
less  than  half  the  quantity  of  fuel  Avhich  Avas  con- 
sumed in  those  of  the  sloAver  ship.  It  is  even  more 
extraordinary  that,  from  the  year  1840,  down  to  the 
present  day,  not  a  single  passenger's  life  has  been 

*  "  Travels  in  Nortli  America,"  vol.  i.  p.  2. 


Minr.iNT,  THE  Atlantic. 


15 


I 


i 


lost,  and  not  a  single  letter  has  gone  astray  on 
board  a  Canard  steamer,  owing  to  the  perils  of  the 
sea.  By  transporting  npwards  of  2,000,000  pas- 
sengers in  safety  across  the  stormy  and  dangerous 
Atlantic,  the  Canard  Company  have  performed  the 
most  marvellous  feat  in  the  annals  of  steam  navi- 
gation. 

The  immnnity  from  preventible  accidents  enjoyed 
by  this  com})any  is  susceptible  of  easy  explanation. 
All  their  vessels  have  been  built  on  the  most  apjiroved 
models,  and  of  the  very  best  materials.  Not  an 
inferior  sheet  of  iron,  inefficient  bolt,  or  imperfect 
plank  can  be  found  in  one  of  them  from  stem  to 
stern.  None  is  ever  sent  to  sea  with  a  known 
defect,  even  though  the  defect  should  be  trivial  in 
appearance,  and  might  not  hinder  the  vessel  making 
the  voyage  in  perfect  safety,  provided  the  weather 
was  moderately  good.  It  is  the  inflexible  rule  of  the 
company  to  be  prepared  to  face  the  worst  at  any 
moment,  never  trusting  to  chance,  or  hoping  for 
good-luck.  Thus,  when  the  worst  comes,  it  can  bo 
met  without  apprehension.  Discipline  is  enforced 
with  a  stringency  which  is  not  surpassed,  possibly  is 
not  equalled,  on  board  a  crack  frigate.  That  fatal 
yet  common  form  of  false  economy  which  consists  in 
reducing  the  number  of  the  crew  to  the  minimum 
necessary  for  navigating  the  ship,  is  rightly  eschewed 
by  this  company.  An  accident  costs  more  than  the 
wages  of  a  few  extra  seamen ;  the  presence  of  the 
extra  seamen  may  tend  to  avert  a  serious  accident. 
The  officers  are  all  well  acquainted  with  their  duties, 
and  are  expected  to  perform  them  with  uniform  and 
unremitting  precision.  Zeal  never  goes  unrewarded, 
nor  is  neglect  ever  pardoned. 


n 


IG 


COLUMIilA    AND    CANADA. 


TVTicn  an  accitlunt  happens,  skill  and  discipline 
tell.  An  accident  which  might  have  become  a 
catastrophe  was  dealt  with  in  the  following  manner 
on  board  the  Bi'ltannla  when  she  was  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Harrison.  The  account  is  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Fields  : — "  A  happier  company 
never  sailed  upon  an  autumn  sea.  The  story-tellers 
are  busy  Avith  their  yarns  to  audiences  of  delighted 
listeners.  The  ladies  are  lying  about  on  couches  or 
shawls,  reading  or  singing;  children  are  taking 
hands,  and  racing  up  and  down  the  decks — when 
with  a  quick  cry  from  the  look-out,  and  a  rush  of 
officers  and  men,  we  are  grinding  on  a  ledge  of  rocks 
off  Cape  Race.  One  of  those  strong  currents,  always 
mysterious,  and  sometimes  impossible  to  foresee,  had 
set  us  into  shore  out  of  our  course,  and  the  ship  was 
blindly  beating  on  a  dreary  coast  of  sharp  and  craggy 
rocks.  .  .  .  Suddenly  we  heard  a  voice,  up  in  tho 
fog  that  surrounded  us,  ringing  like  a  clarion  above 
the  roar  of  the  waves,  and  the  clashing  sounds  on 
shipboard,  and  it  had  in  it  an  assuring,  not  a 
fearful  sound.  As  the  orders  came  distinctly  and 
deliberately  through  the  captain's  trumpet  to  "  shift 
the  cargo,"  to  "  back  her,"  and  to  "  keep  her  steady," 
we  felt  somehow  that  the  commander  up  there  in  tho 
thick  mist  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  that  through 
his  skill  and  courage,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  we 
should  all  be  rescued.  The  man  who  saved  us,  so 
far  as  human  aid  ever  saved  drowning  mortals,  was 
one  fully  competent  to  command  a  ship." 

Another  story,  which  has  not  yet  appeared  in 
print,  is  even  more  instructive ;  it  was  told  to  me  by 
a  gentleman  who  was  a  passenger  on  board  the 
steamship  Atlas  from  Boston  to   Liverpool.      My 


rpi 


niunniNa  tiif  atl.wttp. 


17 


cipliiic 
omo   a 
nauner 
or  the 
is  from 
iinpany 
-tellers 
lighted 
dies  or 
taking 
— when 
rush  of 
)f  rocks 
,  always 
see,  had 
hip  was 
[  craggy 
in  the 
above 
inds  on 
not    a 
tly  and 
I  "  shift 
teady," 
in  the 
through 
/■en,  we 
us,  so 
lis,  was 

ired  in 

me  by 

ird  the 

My 


informant  sailed  for  Liverpool  in  the  winter  months. 
Tiie  voyage  wsis  devoid  of  incident  till  the  vessel 
reached  mid-ocean,  when  one  evening  the  monotony  of 
the  trip  was  unexpectedly  varied.  The  weather  was 
tempestuous,  so  that  the  first-class  passengers,  prefer- 
riiiir  the  warmth  and  shelter  of  the  saloon  at  nightfall 
to  the  discomfort  of  the  gloomy  sky  and  spray-washed 
deck,  were  there  engaged  either  in  reading,  or  in  i)lay- 
ing  at  cards,  draughts, or  chess.  The  captain,  wlio  had 
entered  the  saloon  for  a  few  minutes  only,  suddenly 
hurried  on  deck,  after  the  boatswain  ai)i)eared  and 
whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear.  A  passenger, 
whoso  sense  of  hearing  was  very  acute,  overheard 
the  ominous  phrase,  "  The  ship  is  on  lire,  sir."  lie 
went  on  deck,  being  followed  by  others  to  whom  ho 
had  commuuicated  Avhat  was  said.  There  they  saw 
a  thick  co^  nun  of  dense  smoke  rising  from  tlio 
foi'ward  hatch.  One  of  them  returned  to  the  saloon 
and  told  the  horrible  news.  Anxiety  was  manifested 
as  to  how  soon  the  fire  would  be  extinguished ;  but 
there  was  little  excitement,  and  no  sign  of  panic, 
most  of  the  players  resuming  their  games,  and  tlio 
readers  returning  to  their  books.  Confidence  was 
evidently  felt  that  everything  which  mortals  could 
do  to  avert  a  dread  calamity  would  be  performed. 
In  the  steerage,  on  the  contrary,  there  was  ignorance 
without  self-possession;  women  shrieked,  men 
rushed  about  in  aimless  despair.  The  first-class 
passengers,  who  wished  to  make  themselves  useful, 
and  offered  to  aid  the  crew,  were  asked  to  help  in 
carrying  the  terror-stricken  men,  women,  and 
children  from  the  steerage,  "here  they  were  in  the 
way,  to  the  poop,  where  they  v  juld  give  less  trouble. 
These  passengers  refused  to  be  comforted,  or  to  be 

0 


V' 


18 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


quiet ;  their  groans  and  lamentations  alone  disturbed 
the  apparent  harmony  of  the  hour.  The  crew  and 
the  oflficers  were  as  cool  and  reticent  as  if  nothing 
unusual  had  happened.  The  officer  on  duty  walked 
the  bridge,  giving  his  entire  attention  to  navigating 
the  ship  ;  the  men  on  the  look-out  were  at  their  posts ; 
the  engineers  were  in  their  places  in  the  engine- 
room  ;  the  stewards  were  at  their  usual  work ; 
indeed,  the  business  of  the  ship  went  on  like  clock- 
work, while  a  fire  was  raging  in  the  hold,  and  all  on 
board  were  in  jeopardy.  At  the  end  of  half  an  hour 
from  the  alarm  being  given,  the  boatswain  said  the 
ladies  might  be  informed  that  the  danger  was  nearly 
over;  in  truth,  the  fire  had  been  thoroughly 
mastered,  and  all  danger  was  at  an  end.  It  was 
ascertained  that  the  cause  of  the  fire  was  the  ignition 
of  some  combustibles  which  had.  been  shipped 
against  the  rules  of  the  company,  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  company's  servants  at  Boston. 
The  manner  in  which  this  accident  was  faced  and 
foiled  had  the  natural  result  of  making  every  sensible 
passenger  feel  increased  confidence  in  the  discipline 
and  direction  which  prevail  on  board  a  Cunarder. 

For  some  time  after  the  Cunard  Company  had 
carried  the  mails  between  this  country  and  the  con- 
tinent of  North  America,  the  British  and  American 
Steam  Navigation  Company  maintained  a  keen  but 
futile  rivalry  with  them.  A  parliamentary  inquiry 
proved  that  no  exception  could  justly  be  taken  to 
the  manner  m  which  the  Cunard  Company  executed 
what  they  had  undertaken.  With  a  view  to  outstrip 
all  competitors,  the  Great  Western  Company  had 
become  the  owners  of  the  Preside7it,  a  steamer 
which  was  expected  to  surpass  every  rival.    Launched 


m 


BRIDGING   THE    ATLANTIC. 


19 


sturbed 
ew  and 
lotliing 
walked 
dgating 
'  posts ; 
engine- 
work  ; 
e  clock- 
d  all  on 
an  hour 
said  the 
s  nearly 
iroughly 
It  was 
ignition 
shipped 
liout  the 
Boston, 
ced  and 
sensible 
isciphne 
irder. 
my  had 
he  con- 
mcrican 
een  but 
inquiry 
aken  to 
xecuted 
outstrip 
Liny  had 
steamer 
aunched 


1 


on  the  7th  of  December,  1839,  she  made  a  few  voyages 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States ;  she 
ought  to  have  returned  to  this  country  in  April, 
1841,  but  was  never  heard  of  again.  Determined 
not  to  be  baffled,  the  company  resolved  upon  making 
a  still  bolder  bid  for  supremacy  on  the  Atlantic  by 
arranging  for  the  construction  of  a  vessel  which 
should  outvie  any  one  afloat  in  novelty  of  design, 
in  size  and  in  speed.  This  was  the  Great  Britaui : 
she  was  constructed  of  iron,  this  was  one  novelty ; 
she  was  propelled  by  a  screw,  this  was  another  ;  her 
dimensions  were  then  regarded  as  huge  beyond 
comparison  :  she  was  321  feet  long,  51  feet  broad, 
and  2,98-1  tons  burden  ;  she  was  launched  at  Bristol 
on  the  19th  of  July,  1843.  After  arriving  in  the 
Thames,  she  was  visited  by  the  Queen  and  Princo 
Albert,  and  thousands  of  eager  sight-seers.  In 
December,  1843,  she  started  for  the  United  States, 
but  did  not  get  farther  on  her  voyage  than  Dundrum 
Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  where  she  was  stranded, 
and  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  the  waves  for 
a  Avhole  winter.  This  unusual  test,  which  caused 
no  irreparable  damage,  demonstrated  the  solidity  of 
her  build.  When  floated  off  in  the  spring  and  re- 
fitted, she  wa;-j  employed  as  a  passenger  ship  between 
this  country  and  AustraHa,  and  continued  for  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century  to  be  tlie  favourite  ship  in 
that  service.  Her  fame  as  a  giant  among  vessels 
was  not  eclipsed  till  the  Great  Eastern  was  launched 
on  the  31st  of  January,  1858.  It  was  intended  that 
she  should  be  employed  as  a  passenger  ship  in  the 
Australian  trade,  but  just  as  the  Great  Britaui,  never 
made  a  voyage  to  the  United  States,  so  the  Great 
Eastern  never  made  a  voyage  to  Australia.     Though 

c  2 


m 


i  If 


r 


t  nil 


20 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


S  i' 


both  disappointed  the  expectations  of  their  designers, 
yet  the  Great  Britain  has  done  good  service  by  bring- 
ing the  continent  of  Australasia  into  closer  union 
with  the  motherland,  while  the  Great  Eastern^  by  her 
adaptability  for  laying  telegraph  cables  in  the  Atlan- 
tic, the  Eed  Sea,  and  the  Indian  Ocean,  has  made 
for  herself  a  proud  name  among  ships. 

The  success  of  the  English  Steamship  Companies 
provoked  jealousy,  and  consequent  rivalry  on  the 
part  of  companies  in  the  United  States.  An  attempt 
at  international  competition  was  made  in  1847,  when 
the  merchants  of  New  York  establislied  a  line  of 
steamships  to  run  between  that  city  and  Bremen, 
Southampton  being  a  port  of  call.  The  Wasliing- 
ton,  the  first  steamer  of  the  new  line,  left  New 
York  for  Southampton  the  same  day  in  June,  1847, 
that  the  Britannia  started  for  Liverpool.  The 
former  was  the  more  powerful  vessel  of  the  two. 
The  Nciv  York  liiraUl,  with  its  wonted  aad  exuberant 
patriotism,  wrote  to  the  effect  that,  if  the  Bri- 
tannia means  to  beat  the  Washington^  she  "will 
have  to  run  by  the  deep  mines  and  put  in  more 
coal."  Without  visiting  these  mysterious  coaling 
stations,  the  Britannia  won  the  race  by  two  days. 

This  failure  to  out-do  the  Cunard  line  did  not 
liinder  the  United  States  Congress  from  encouragin-* 
another  attempt  of  the  same  character.  Mr.  E.  K. 
CoUins,  the  owner  of  a  swift  Ime  of  sailing  ships 
between  New  York  and  Liverpool,  having  offered  to 
run  a  line  of  steamers  between  these  two  ports. 
Congress  granted  him  a  subsidy  of  £175,750  in  con- 
sideration of  four  steamers  being  provided  for  the 
service.  This  was  more  than  double  the  sum  paid 
to  the  Cunard  Company  at  tlie  outset.    The  steamers 


BRIDGINQ   THE   ATLANTIC. 


21 


^ners, 
bring- 
union 
dj  her 
A-tlaTi- 
made 


panics 
m  tlie 
btempt 
,  when 
line  of 
remon, 
ashuig- 
■b  Now 
,  1847, 
.     The 
e  two. 
iberant 
le  Bi'l- 
"  will 
more 
coaling 
ays. 
id  not 
u-agin^- 
B.  K. 
sliips 
ered  to 
ports, 
in  con- 
for  tlio 
m  paid 
earners 


of*  the  Collins  line  were  well  built,  were  comfortable 
to  the  verge  of  luxury,  and  tliey  were  the  fastest  that 
had  ever  traversed  the  ocean.  Their  speed  was 
attained  at  a  great  cost.  It  was  necessary  to  ex- 
pend upwards  of  £200,000  yearly,  in  order  to 
shorten  the  trips  across  the  Atlantic  by  a  day  and  a 
half.  From  January,  1852,  to  November  in  that 
year  inclusive,  the  Collins  steamers  trans}wrted 
2, 120  passengers  from  New  York  to  Liverpool,  and 
1,880  from  Liverpool  to  New  York,  whereas  the 
Cunarders  transported  1,180  the  one  way,  and 
1,783  the  other.  The  citizens  of  the  United  States 
were  naturally  exultant,  believing  that  they  had  at 
length  succeeded,  to  employ  the  words  of  a  Report 
to  the  Seriate,  in  hindering  the  "  Queen  of  the 
Ocean  levying  her  imposts  upon  the  industry  and 
intelligence  of  all  the  nations  that  frequent  the 
higliway  of  the  world."  Commerce  profited  by  the 
competition.  Two  years  after  the  establishment 
of  the  Collins  line,  the  rate  of  freight  had  fallen  from 
£7  10s.  a  ton  to  £4. 

During  a  dense  fog  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1854,  the  Collins  steamer  Arctic  came  into  collision 
with  the  French  steamer  Vestas  sixty  miles  to 
the  south-east  of  Cape  Race.  The  Arctic  had 
on  board  233  passengers,  a  crew  numbering  135, 
and  a  valuable  cargo.  The  Vesta  had  on  board 
147  passengers,  and  a  crew  numbering  fifty.  Think- 
ing that  the  Vesta  was  about  to  founder,  several 
of  the  passengers  and  crew  sought  safety  by  getting 
on  board  the  Arctic;  a  boat,  containing  thirteen 
persons  who  tried  to  do  so,  was  swamped,  and  all 
in  it  were  drowned.  The  Captain  of  the  Vesta 
succeeded  in  bringing  his    ship,  with    the  persons 


I  Ml 


Ir^ 


22 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


who  had  remained  on  board,  into  St.  Johns,  New- 
foundland. The  Arctic  never  touched  land  again; 
only  fourteen  passengers  and  thirty-one  of  hiT  crew 
reached  the  shore  alive.  The  wife,  a  son,  and  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Collins  were  among  the  missing. 

On  the  3i'd  of  January,  1856,  the  Collins  steamer 
Pacific  left  Liverpool,  with  forty-one  passengers 
and  a  crew  numbering  141 ;  she  had  the  mails  on 
board  and  a  full  cargo,  valued  at  half  a  million 
sterling.  She  was  never  afterwards  heard  of. 
Though  the  Adriatic  was  built  to  replace  one  of 
the  vessels  that  had  been  lost,  yet  in  1858  the 
Company  gave  up  the  struggle  in  despair.  The 
annual  loss  was  greater  than  the  shareholders  could 
sustain,  and  the  subsidy  had  been  withdrawn. 
The  enterprise  deserved  a  happier  fate.  When  the 
line  was  projected,  Mr.  Senator  Bayard  said  in  Con- 
gress :  "  We  must  have  speed,  extraordinary  speed, 
a  speed  with  which  the  Collins  steamers  can  over- 
take any  vessel  which  they  pursue,  and  escape  from 
any  vessel  they  wish  to  avoid ;  they  must  be  fit  for 
the  purpose  of  a  cruiser,  with  armaments  to  attack 
your  enemy — if  that  enemy  were  Great  Britain — in 
her  most  vital  part,  her  commerce."  A  nobler 
feeling  than  enmity  to  Great  Britain  might  have 
inspired  the  advocates  of  this  undertaking.  The 
ocean  is  wide  enough  for  the  vessels  of  all  nations. 
Great  Britain,  wliich  has  never  yet  feared  or  suc- 
cumbed to  rivalry  on  that  element,  expressed  no 
unseemly  pleasure  when  the  failure  of  the  Collins 
Line  left  the  Cunard  Company  without  formidable 
competitors  on  the  Atlantic. 

It   was    on   the  17th    of    December,    1850,   the 
year   when  Mr.    Senator   Bayard    looked   forward 


BRIDGING   THE   ATLANTIC. 


23 


New- 
again ; 
r  crew 
and  a 
tig. 

bearaer 
engers 
ails  on 
million 
ird   of. 
one  of 
58  the 
.     The 
s  could 
drawn, 
[len  the 
n  Con- 
speed, 
1  over- 
)e  from 
fit  for 
attack 
lam — in 
nobler 
have 
The 
lations. 
or  suc- 
sed  no 
Collins 
nidable 

)0,   the 
orward 


with  patriotic  selfishness  and  complacency  to  the 
Collins  steamers  "  sweeping  the  seas,"  that  the 
iron  screw  steamer  the  Cltij  of  Glasgow  left  Liver- 
pool for  Philadelphia.  She  was  the  property  of 
the  Liverpool,  New  York  and  Philadelphia  Steam- 
ship Company,  of  which  Mr.  William  Inman  Avas 
managing  director,  a  company  which  now  enjoys 
world-wide  renown  as  the  Inman  Line.  Mr.  Inman 
had  the  foresight  to  perceive,  when  the  majority  of 
shipowners  and  shipbuilders  held  a  contrary  opinion, 
that  iron  was  the  best  material  wherewith  to  fashion 
Atlantic  steamers,  and  that  the  screw  was  the  best 
means  for  propelling  them.  Till  the  year  1857, 
the  Inman  steamers  ran  fortnightly  between  Liver- 
pool and  Philadelphia;  in  that  year  they  ran  to 
New  York  also ;  after  the  suspension  of  the  Collins 
Line  the  Inman  took  its  place,  carrying  the  United 
States  Mails.  In  18G0,  this  company  despatched 
a  steamer  weekly ;  in  18G3,  thrice  a  fortnight;  in 
18(36,  twice  weekly  during  the  summer  months. 
These  vessels  have  maintained  the  reputation  which 
they  early  gained  for  size,  comfort,  and  speed.  In 
one  of  them,  the  Glty  of  Paris,  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught  was  carried  from  Cork  to  Halifax  in  six 
days  and  twenty-one  li^urs.  Two  of  them,  the 
Citi/  of  Chester  and  the  Cifi/  of  Berlin,  are  among 
the  finest  and  fastest  steamers  afloat.  The  latter  is 
520  feet  in  length,  and  has  accommodation  for 
1,702  passengers,  in  addition  to  a  crew  of  upwards 
of  100.  Unlike  the  Cunard  Company,  however,  the 
Inman  Line  cannot  boast  of  freedom  from  fatal 
casualties.  One  of  the  saddest  occurred  in  1870, 
when  the  Cifi/  of  Boslon  left  Hahfax  for  Liverpool 
and  disappeared. 


24 


COLUMIHA   AND   CANADA. 


In  1852,  about  the  time  that  the  Collins  Line 
was  founded  in  the  United  States  and  the  Ininan 
Line  in  England,  and  twelve  years  after  the  first 
Cunarder  had  crossed  the  ocean,  the  Government 
of  Canada  arranged  for  the  carriage  of  the  mails 
between  Liverpool  and  Quebec.  The  contractors 
were  Messrs.  M' Clean,  M'Clarty,  and  Lamont  of 
Liverpool.  They  were  succeeded  by  Messrs.  Allan, 
who  began  in  1856  a  steam  service  between  Canada 
and  Great  Britain  which  deserves  to  be  cited 
among  striking  illustrations  of  perseverance  and 
pluck. 

At  the  outset,  the  Allan  Line  met  with  man^'- 
mishaps.  The  North  Atlantic  is  as  trying  to  the 
navigator  as  the  Baltic  at  its  worst.  Dangers  due 
to  fo":  and  ice  are  encountered  during:  most  months 
of  the  year;  while  perils  from  sunken  rocks  and 
treacherous  currents  have  to  be  faced  at  all  seasons. 
Yet  the  steamers  of  the  Allan  Line,  which  in  size, 
speed  and  luxury  are  equal  to  the  best,  run  with 
regularity  pcross  the  ocean  between  the  ports  of 
Quebec  and  Halifax  in  Canada,  Portland  and  Balti- 
more in  the  United  States,  and  those  of  Liverpool 
and  Glasgow  in  the  United  Kingdom.  One  of  these 
steamers  is  famed  for  havincr  made  the  shortest 
recorded  voyage  out  and  home.  On  the  16tli  of 
December,  1804,  the  Peruvian  left  Moville  for 
Portland  at  6.24  p.m.;  after  having  discharged  her 
cargo  and  taken  fresh  cargo  on  board,  she  arrived 
at  Moville  on  her  return  voyage  at  9.15  a.m.,  on 
the  10th  of  January,  1865 ;  the  time  occupied  in  the 
double  voyage  being  only  twenty-four  days,  fifteen 
hours. 

When   Dr.  Laruner   pronounced   the   scheme   of 


BRIDGING   THE    ATLANTIC. 


25 


IS  Line 

Iiiinan 

le  first 

rnment 

0  mails 
:ractors 
lont  of 
.  Allan, 
Canada 
3  cited 
ico  and 

1  manv' 
to  the 

ers  due 
months 
ks   and 
easons. 
in  size, 
m  witli 
orts  of 
Balti- 
vcrpool 
Df  those 
lortcst 
Gth  of 
Ho    for 
2;cd  her 
arrived 
L.M.,  on 
.  in  the 
fifteen 

omc   of 


•M 


running  steamers  directly  between  Liverpool  and 
New  York  to  be  perfectly  chimerical,  he  said  that  it 
was  quite  feasible  to  run  steamers  between  Yaleutia 
in  Ireland,  and  St.  Johns  in  Newfoundland.  Ilis 
|)lan  comprised  a  journey  by  rail  from  London  to 
Liverpool,  by  water  from  Liverpool  to  Dublin,  by 
rail  from  Dublin  to  Valeutia,  and  by  sea  from 
Valentia  to  St.  Johns,  thence  by  sea  to  Halifiix  and 
finally  to  New  York.  The  absence  of  a  railway 
between  Dublin  and  Valentia  rendered  this  scheme 
as  chimerical  as  that  which  had  been  condemned. 
Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  later.  Dr.  Lardnor's 
proposition  was  revived,  with  the  difference  that  the 
port  of  Galway  was  to  be  the  place  of  departure  in 
Ireland,  and  New  York  or  Boston  the  port  of  arrival 
on  the  North  American  Continent.  A  company 
was  formed  to  carry  out  the  undertaking ;  it  was 
styled  the  Royal  Atlantic  Steam  Navigation  Com- 
pany, and  was  generally  known  as  the  Galway  Line. 
In  Ireland  it  was  hailed  as  a  national  enterprise, 
one  fraught  Avitli  promise  and  pride  to  the  country, 
and  certain  to  prove  a  source  of  vast  pecuniary 
profit.  A  subsidy  of  £3,000  for  each  voyage  out 
and  home  was  accorded  by  the  Government. 

This  service  began  on  the  27th  of  June,  18G0,  and 
ended  in  May,  1801.  Its  story,  which  needs  not 
be  told  in  detail,  was  one  of  miscarriage  and 
disaster.  One  vessel,  the  Connanght,  was  lost ; 
a  second,  the  llibenila,  was  so  much  damaged 
during  h^r  preliminary  trip  as  to  be  unfitted  for 
employment;  a  third,  the  Columbia,  was  so 
greatly  injured  by  coming  in  contact  with  ice  otl' 
Newfoundland,  as  to  take  upwards  of  twenty  days 
in  reaching  Boston.     The  company  had  contracted 


i 


I  \ 


26 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


to  carry  the  mails  from  sliore  to  shore  in  six  days ; 
but  failed  in  doing  so  till  they  purchased  the  Collins 
Steamer  Adriatic,  which  made  the  passage  from 
Ireland  to  Newfoundland  in  six  days,  returning  in 
five  days,  nineteen  hours,  and  forty-five  minutes  ; 
being  the  fastest  trip  which,  till  then,  had  been  made 
from  shore  to  shore.  The  failures  of  the  Collins  and 
the  Galway  Lines  cannot  be  chronicled  without  regret 
that  so  much  capital  and  so  much  laudable  energy 
and  skill  should  have  been  expended  in  vain. 

In  18(33,  the  National  Steam  Navigation  Company 
was  formed  in  Liverpool.  Its  promoters  purposed 
trading  with  the  southern  ports  of  the  United 
States,  as  soon  as  the  civil  war  came  to  an  end. 
The  war  lasting  longer  than  was  expected,  they 
resolved  to  run  their  steamers  between  Liverpool 
and  New  York.  No  larger  vessels  than  those  of 
the  National  line  had  then  crossed  the  Atlantic ; 
the  size  ranged  from  3,000  to  3,500  tons  burden. 
In  1864,  three  more  of  still  larger  tonnage  were 
built  for  the  company,  other  three  in  the  succeeding 
two  years,  the  result  being  that  the  National  line 
possesses  a  fleet  of  steamers  as  fine  as  any  which 
traverse  the  sea.  A  vessel  starts  weekly  between 
Liverpool  and  New  York,  and  fortnightly  between 
London  and  New  York.  This  company  has  been 
managed  with  marked  ability;  not  a  single  pas- 
senger has  lost  his  life  through  accident  to  one  of 
their  steamers.  The  excellent  plan  has  been  adopted 
of  giving  the  captains  and  the  chief  officers  of  a 
National  steamer  a  handsome  sum  by  way  of  bonus 
every  six  months,  in  the  event  of  the  vessels  under 
their  care  going  from  port  to  port  free  from  preven- 
tiblo  injury.     The  company's  orders  are  to  carry  the 


Na 


BRIDGINO    THE    ATLANTIC. 


27 


f  days ; 
Collins 
^0  from 
"ning  in 
linutes ; 
)n  made 
lins  and 
Lt  regret 
I  energy 


ompany 
urposed 
United 
an  end. 
d,   tliey 
iverpool 
lose  of 
tlantic ; 
burden, 
^e  were 
ceeding 
nal  line 
wliich 
between 
)etween 
IS  been 
e   pas- 
one  of 
idopted 
rs  of  a 
•  bonus 
under 
3reven- 
rry  the 


vessels  and  all  on  board  in  safety,  niid  to  aim  at 
safety  rather  than  speed.  Other  companies  have 
the  like  desire  and  give  the  same  injunctions ;  but 
none  of  them,  tiie  Canard  always  excepted,  is  more 
rigid  in  insisting  on  their  observance  than  the 
National  Company. 

Messrs.  Handy  side  and  Henderson  began  to  run 
steamers,  in  1805,  every  fortnight  between  Glasgow 
and  New  York ;  their  steamers  now  run  weekly 
from  Glasgow  and  fortnightly  from  London.  This 
is  known  as  the  Anchor  line.  The  Anchor  vessels 
enjoy  a  reputation  in  Scotland  which  is  thoroughly 
merited.  In  18GG  the  Liverpool  and  Great  Western 
Steamship  Company  began  business  in  Liverpool; 
this  is  the  well-known  Guion  Line.  Neither  the 
Anchor  nor  the  Guion  Line  can  take  credit  for 
having  escaped  serious  accidents. 

The  most  notable  event  in  the  recent  history  of 
Atlantic  navigation  is  the  establishment  of  the 
White  Star  line  of  steamers  in  the  year  1870. 
Messrs.  Ismay,  Imrie,  and  Co.,  the  principal  pro- 
prietors of  this  line,  then  made  a  step  in  advance  of 
all  competitors.  They  employed  Messrs.  Harland 
and  Wolff  of  Belfast  to  build  steamers  for  them, 
and  such  steamers  had  never  been  launched  before. 
Their  speed  is  very  great.  To  style  them  floating 
palaces  is  to  use  the  language  of  sober  truth,  and 
not  to  indulge  in  hyperbole.  Indeed,  the  ship- 
builders of  Belfast  have  taught  some  useful  lessons 
to  their  brethren  on  the  Thames  and  the  Tyne,  the 
Mersey  and  the  Clyde. 

A  sketch  of  the  establishment  and  progress  of 

Atlantic    steam-shipping   companies   would   be   in- 

(  complete  without  a  mention  of  the  endeavours  made 


28 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


by  citizens  of  the  United  States  to  succeed  in  tlio 
attempt  wherein  Mr.  CoUins  failed.  Mr.  Vandorbilt 
vainly  expended  a  considerable  sum  of  money  in 
such  a  venture.  A  Boston  company  made  a  similar 
and  an  equally  fruitless  etibrt ;  two  handsome  screw 
steamers,  the  Erie  and  the  Ontario,  belonging  to 
them,  made  several  trips  between  their  city  and 
Liverpool ;  the  outlay  being  far  in  excess  of  the 
receipts,  the  enterprise  had  to  be  abandoned.  Tlio 
capitalists  of  New  York  and  Boston  having  proved 
unable  to  command  success,  those  of  Philadelphia 
determined  to  see  whether  they  could  not  do  better. 
The  latter  established  what  they  style  the  American 
Line,  in  concert  with  the  wealthy  and  powerful 
Pennsylvania  Railway.  If  this  lino  of  passenger 
steamships,  which  crosses  the  ocean  under  the  flag 
of  the  United  States,  can  maintain  a  successful  com- 
petition with  its  German,  French  and  English  rivals, 
the  travelling  public  will  be  the  gainer. 

The  other  lines  of  steamships  which  help  to  bridge 
the  Atlantic  are  the  State,  which  starts  from 
Glasgow ;  the  Dominion  and  the  Beaver,  the  Warren 
and  the  Leyland,  which  start  from  Liverpool ;  the 
Wilson,  which  starts  from  Hull,  the  Great  Western 
from  Bristol,  and  the  Temperley  from  London ;  the 
Transatlantic  and  the  Hamburg,  which  touch  at 
Plymouth;  and  the  North  German  Lloyd,  which 
touches  at  Southampton. 

The  record  of  Atlantic  steam  navigation,  from 
the  year  1840  down  to  the  present  day,  has  been 
one  of  extraordinary  and  unceasing  progress.  It 
was  thought  to  be  a  great  feat,  at  one  time,  for 
a  steamer  to  start  every  week  from  either  side 
of  the  ocean ;   several  now  start,  as  a   matter    of 


■"S! 


BRTDr-lNO    THE    ATLANTIC. 


20 


)ccl  in  tlio 
f^anderbilt 
money  in 
)  a  similar 
)mo  screw 
3nging  to 

city  and 
ss  of  the 
led.  The 
ng  proved 
liladelphia 
do  better. 
American 

powerful 
passenger 
r  the  flag 
ssful  com- 
lisli  rivals, 

to  bridge 
rts  from 
le  Warren 
pool ;  tlie 

Western 
don ;  the 

touch  at 
d,  which 


f  course,  from  both  sides  weekly.  Before  the  era  of 
i  steam,  it  was  a  subject  of  congratulation  when  tho 
^  voyage  was  completed  in  a  month  ;  ten  days  is  now 
the  average  length  of  the  voyage  by  one  of  the  fast 
lines,  so  that,  as  has  been  already  remarked,  it  takes 
no  longer  time  to  <?o  from  the  British  Isles  to  the 
North  American  continent  than  was  consumed  in 
1770  during  the  journey  between  the  town  of  Boston 
and  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  The  trade  wit^i  tho 
United  States  from  Liverpool  alone  is  greater  at  tho 
present  day  than  the  trade  of  Liverpool  with  all  tho 
world  before  the  advent  of  the  steamship.  Seneca's 
prediction  in  his  Medea  has  been  fulfilled  :  the  ultima 
Thule  of  the  ancient  Romans  has  ceased  to  be  tho 
farthest  point  of  tho  habitable  globe ;  the  Atlantic 
ocean,  instead  of  being  a  wide  barrier  to  intercom- 
munication, has  become  a  convenient  highway  for 
commercial  intercourse.  It  was  the  wish  of  Silas 
Deane,  in  which  Jefferson  concurred,  that  thero 
should  be  an  ocean  of  fire  between  the  Old  World 
and  the  New.  No  sane  man,  now  living,  would 
cherish  or  countenance  so  diabolical  a  desire. 


ion,  from 
has  been 
•ess.  It 
time,  for 
her  side 
latter    of 


80 


n. 


FROM  THE   THAMES   TO   TUE   HUDSON. 

The  port  of  London,  wlilcli  was  a  fiivourite  jilaco  of 
arrival  and  departure  for  transatlantic  travellers,  in 
the  days  when  sailing  packets  had  no  competitors,  is 
now  comparatively  neglected  by  them  ;  the  Thames 
having  become  less  attractive  in  this  respect  than 
the  Mersey  and  the  Clyde.  Recently,  however, 
vigorous  efforts  have  been  made  to  regain  for  the 
capital  of  England  some  of  its  lost  credit,  as  a  port 
for  Atlantic  traffic.  Two  companies  well  known  in 
Liverpool  and  Glasgow,  have  started  lines  of  steamers 
between  the  Victoria  Docks  and  the  wharfs  on  the 
North  River,  thereby  bringing  London  into  direct 
steam  communication  with  New  York.  One  is  the 
National,  the  other  the  Anchor  Company. 

Having  already  had  personal  experience  of  the 
steamers  of  the  Cunard  aiio.  North  German  Lloyd 
Companies,  and  desiring  to  sail  from  the  Tliames,  I 
took  a  passage  for  the  United  States  in  the  Canadd, 
belonging  to  the  National  line.  The  boats  which 
this  company  despatch  from  London  every  fortnight 
are  not  quite  so  large  as  those  which  start  from 
Liverpool,  yet  the  Canada  is  of  4,275  tons  burden, 
being  three  times  larger  than  the  famous  Brl- 
taniiidj  the    pioneer   steamer   of  the  Cunard   line. 


FROM   THE    TIIAMRS    TO   THE    nilDSOM. 


31 


'*'Ttiorois  an  inconvonienco  connected  with  enibarkiiif^ 
at  the  Victoria  Docks,  and  at  some  otlier  docks  also, 
Avliicli  could  easily  be  remedied.  This  is  the  demand 
made  for  dock  dues  upon  passengers'  luggage.  Such 
a  toll,  like  the  steward's  fee,  is  perfectly  justifiable, 
but  it  would  save  annoyance,  at  a  time  when  ])assen- 
gcrs  are  in  no  humour  to  bo  troubled  unnecessarily, 
if  the  payment  for  these  dues,  like  that  for  the 
steward's  fee,  were  included  in  the  passage-money. 
The  minor  worries  of  life  arc  due  to  a  multiplicity  of 
small  payments.  These  docks  are  well  fitted  for  pro- 
longing the  excitement  of  parting  from  friends  ;  the 
steamer  leaves  the  landing  place  very  slowly  ;  about 
an  hour  elapses  before  she  is  in  the  river  and  fairly 
under  way,  and,  by  coming  from  the  landing-place 
to  the  dock  gates,  relatives  and  friends  have  another 
chance  to  repeat  their  good  wishes  to  the  voyagers. 
Judging  from  observation,  I  should  say  that  both 
parties  weary  of  making  these  affectionate  demon- 
strations long  before  the  opportunity  for  doing  so 
has  passed.  Whilst  the  vessel  is  in  the  quiet 
waters  of  the  river  the  passengers,  who  are  doubtful 
about  the  steadiness  of  their  legs  and  the  strength 
of  their  stomachs  when  sailing  over  the  salt  waves, 
can  settle  down  in  their  berths  with  greater  comfort 
than  if  they  were  at  once  called  upon  to  prove  their 
sea-going  qualities,  and  they  can  attend  the  first 
dinner  on  board  ship  with  reasonable  confidence 
that  they  will  enjoy  it.  By  the  time  tea  is  over  we 
have  entered  the  English  Channel,  where  a  fresh 
breeze  is  blowing,  and  the  surface  is  more  undu- 
lating than  that  of  the  River  Thames.  Passengers 
who  suffer  in  the  short  chopping  seas  of  the  English 
Channel  are  wont  to   think  that,  if  the  steamers 


i 


I  ■11 


32 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


which  ply  between  Dover  and  Ostend  or  Calais, 
were  as  large  as  those  which  cross  the  Atlantic,  tin; 
brief  voyage  Avould  be  much  more  pleasant.  Now,  I 
have  seen  vessels  of  the  largest  tonnage  pitch  and 
roll  in  a  rough  channel  sea,  to  a  greater  extent  than 
when  tlie  same  steamers  are  on  the  open  Atlantic 
dm'ing  a  gale.  Certainly,  many  passengers  in  the 
Canada  were  soon  in  as  niiseral)le  a  state  as  if 
they  had  been  crossing  the  channel  in  the  smallest 
steamer  that  plies  there. 

The  first-class  cabin  passengers  numbered  up- 
wards of  seventy.  Conspicuous  among  them  was  a 
middle-aged  lady,  whose  apparently  hysterical  con- 
dition upon  coming  on  board  drew  forth  general 
sympathy.  She  was  on  the  way  to  a  city  in  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  where  her  son  and  brother 
lived,  her  husband  having  his  abode  in  Australia. 
Neither  grief  at  parting  from  acquaintances  in  Eng- 
land, nor  terror  at  the  prospect  of  a  sea  voyage  had 
produced  the  hysterics  under  which  she  laboured ; 
inordinate  fondness  for  bottled  stout,  or  any  other 
beverage  of  an  alcoholic  kind  when  her  favourite 
one  could  not  be  procured,  made  her  a  fitting  subject 
for  a  temperance  lecture  and  the  doctor's  anxious 
care.  Her  husband  could  not  be  blamed  for  livincr 
at  some  distance  from  her,  and  the  brother  whom  she 
was  going  to  visit  was  not  to  be  envied.  A  young 
gentleman  from  Glasgow,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
join  a  brother  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and  who 
had  a  firm  belief  in  making  a  rapid  fortune  in  the 
United  States,  shoAved  almost  as  great  partialit/  for 
bottled  stout  as  did  this  unfortunate  woman;  but  he 
kept  within  reasonable  bounds  on  the  whole,  and 
was  not  uniformly  offensive   to    his    fellow-passen- 


d] 


FUOM   THE    THAMES   TO   THE    nUDSOX. 


33 


Calais, 
ic,  tlio 
N'ow,  I 
jli  and 
it  than 
.tlantic 
in  the 
as  if 
mallcst 

ed  up- 
1  was  a 
al  con- 
f^encral 
in  tlio 
brother 
istralia. 
n  Eng- 
lo'c  had 
)ourcd ; 
y  otlier 
vouritc 
subject 
nxious 

living 
lorn  she 

young 
I  way  to 
hd  who 

in  the 
llit '  for 

but  ho 


1 


e,  am 
Dassen- 


I 


t 


M 


gors.  Ho  was  careful  to  explain  with  much  empha- 
sis that  water  was  the  beverage  which  he  preferred, 
before  leaving  home,  and  that  he  had  resolved  to 
drink  nothing  else  after  landing.  When  I  last  saw 
him,  before  leaving  the  steamer,  he  was  earnestly 
engaged  in  trying  whether  certain  transatlantic 
decoctions,  in  which  gin,  or  brandy,  whisky,  or  rum, 
was  present  in  considerable  proportions,  were  ro 
his  taste.  If  he  kept  to  his  determination  to  drink 
nothino;  but  water,  I  have  little  doubt  about  his  sue- 
cess  in  the  United  States.  An  instance  of  his  asLnto- 
ness  occurred  on  board.  Having  agreed  with  some 
others,  on  whom  time  hung  heavily,  to  play  at  pitch 
and  toss,  he  found  that  the  pennies  had  a  trick  of 
rolling  about  the  deck.  Thereupon  he  sought  tho 
aid  of  the  engineer,  who  roughened  the  edges  of  a 
penny  with  a  file,  and  thus  made  it  lie  flat  on  tho 
spot  wlic'  3  it  fell.  Tliis  reminded  mo  of  tho  man 
wlio  wrote  from  Dunkeld  to  the  Mint  for  what  ho 
called  tossing  pennies — that  is,  coins  with  two  heads 
on  the  one  and  tv/o  tails  on  the  other,  and  led  mo  to 
tliink  that  even  the  sharpest  Yankee  would  meet  with 
his  match  in  this  shrewd  youth  from  Glasgow. 

Several  of  the  passengers  were  young  English- 
men, who  were  going  to  be  farmers  in  the  United 
States.  Those  persons  who  had  practical  knowledge 
of  farming  looked  upon  them  as  predestined  to  gain 
experience  at  the  cost  of  their  purses.  There  were 
three  pairs  who  had  each  chosen  a  different  part  of 
the  American  continent  as  best  adapted  for  a  ventiiT-e. 
Two  of  these  men  were  on  their  way  to  California,  two 
were  bound  for  an  Eden  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  and 
two  had  resolved  upon  trying  to  ])reed  cattle  in  the 
State  of  Texas.      Tho    gentlemen   who   liad  iieard 

D 


'    \¥\ 


m 


Si  h  1 


mr   <» 


34 


COLTTMniA    AND   CANADA. 


tliat    California  was   a   splendid   land   for   growing 
grain  and  making  money,  were  unacquainted  with 
agriculture.     They  looked  forward  to  enjoying  shoot- 
ing and  fishing,  and  one  of  them  had  a  hammock,  in 
which  he  meant  to  take  his  ease  when  the  weather 
was  too  hot  to   work,  or  when  he  was   exhausted 
with  the  toil  of  sporting.     They  had  no  notion  of 
the  hardships   of  farming,  even  in  such   a  highly- 
favoured  land  as  California ;  indeed,  had  they  been 
aware  of  the  difficulties  in  their  path  they  would 
never  have  gone  on  the  expedition.     At  home,  a 
gentleman  farmer  is  not  generally  successful.      In 
the  United  States,  a  gentleman  farmer  is  almost 
certain  to  lose  his  capital,  and  to  find,  when  it  is  too 
late,  that  he  has  mistaken  his  vocation.     Of  course, 
if  a  gentleman  who  goes  to  farm  land  in  the  United 
States  has  some    practical   knowledge,   as  well   as 
sufficient  capital,  and  if  he  work  much  harder  than 
the  hardest- worked  labourer  does  at  home,  he  mav 
expend  his  energies  and  turn  his  investment  to  pro- 
fitable account.     The  two  who  imagined  the  Stato 
of  Iowa  to  be  the  paradise  they  were  in  quest  of 
had  some  capital,  a  belief  that  farming  could  be  done 
by  proxy,  and  that  a  fortune  could  be  gained  by 
breeding  and  selling  setters,  two  pups  of  an  excellent 
breed  being  among   their   personal   eff*ects.     They 
had  made  arrangements  for  obtaining  copies  of  the 
English  sporting  papers,  so  as  to  be  enabled  to  learn 
what  was  going  on  in  the  racing  world,  and  to  vary 
their  other  occupations  with  betting  on  some  of  thj 
principal  races.     No  long  time  would  elapse  before 
they  would  be   more  immediately  concerned  aboui 
how  to  get  a  dinner  than  about  the  future  winner 
of   the  Derby.      The  pair  whose  destiratiou    \vao 


4 

f 


I  Arm, 
^?  Frcn 


FROM    THE    THAMES    TO   THE    HUDSON. 


35 


growing 
jd  with 
y  slioot- 
nock,  in 
weather 
hausted 
)tion  of 
highly- 
ley  been 
f  would 
bome,  a 
PuL      In 
(  almost 
it  is  too 
■  course, 
B  United 
well   as 
[ler  than 
he  mav 
to  pro- 
Lie  Stato 
uest  of 
36  done 
ined  by 
xcellent 
They 
s  of  the 
to  learn 
to  vary 
0  of  thj 
e  before 
about 
winner 


I 


Texas  had  many  chances  in  their  favour,  having 
learned  in  Monte  Video  what  cattle-rearing  meant, 
and  having  also  learned  how  to  bear  the  ills  of  an 
emigrant's  career.  They  had  no  apprehension  about 
findinof  the  roughest  life  in  Texas  worse  than  that 
which  they  had  experienced  in  Monte  Video,  and 
they  would  probably  find  that  the  change  from  the 
turbulent  South  American  State  to  the  more  tranquil 
State  of  Texas  was  one  for  the  better. 

A  young  Frenchman  was  another  passenger  elate 
v:  'n  the  expectation  of  meeting  with  something 
•i\.i;: .  ble  in  the  New  World.  He  had  been  engaged 
in  the  production  of  beetroot  sugar  in  France,  and 
he  fancied  that  he  would  either  gain  useful  informa- 
tion, or  perhaps  discover  a  new  field  for  his  industry, 
by  visiting  the  Southern  States.  He  spoke  English 
very  well,  and,  unlike  many  of  his  countrymen  and 
a  few  of  mine,  he  was  an  excellent  sailor.  I  was 
surprised  that  he  did  not  take  a  passage  in  one  of  the 
French  Transatlantic  steamers,  which  sail  weekly 
from  Havre,  iill  he  told  me  the  reason  why  he  pre- 
ferred an  r.ju>lish  vessel.  He  Iiad  served  as  a 
volunteer  i:^  Ji;  late  war,  and  was  still  liable  to  be 
called  upon  u-  ;'M  ve  in  what  is  called  the  Territorial 
Army.  Before  ijo  could  take  a  passage  in  tho 
French  steamer,  he  would  have  to  get  written  pe'.'- 
mission  from  the  autliorities,  and  to  pay  a  consider- 
able fee  for  the  necessary  documents.  Moreover,  on 
landing  at  New  York  he  would  have  to  go  to  the 
French  ^'onsulj  inform  him  of  his  address,  and  keep 
him  ini''<];;:jd  of  ]\is  addresses  during  his  journey 
tbroughou'-  lie  country.  Provided  this  were  done 
to  the  Consul's  satisfaction,  a  permit  would  be  given 
him  when  he  desired  to  return  home,  and  for  this  ho 

D  2 


n 


I    : 

'1.    ' 


I( 


3G 


COLUMBTA    AND   CANADA. 


would  also  have  to  pay  a  fee.  The  fees  would 
amomit  to  several  poiiuds,  and  the  formalities  would 
occupy  much  time.  All  that  had  to  be  done  to  avoid 
the  payment  and  the  trouble  was  to  take  a  ticket  for 
London,  and  either  embark  there,  or  at  any  other 
port  in  a  steamer  sailing  under  the  British  flag. 
These  regulations,  though  not  so  designed,  have  the 
practical  effect  of  hindering  many  Frenchmen  from 
proceeding  tc  *he  United  States  in  a  French  steamer. 
Among  the  oti..  ;sengers  was  a  retired  publican, 
who  had  made  en^  ^h  money  to  live  upon,  and  who 
was  now  carrying  out  a  long-cherisliecl  wish  by 
visiting  the  United  States  with  his  wife  and  son. 
He  was  a  quiet,  sensible,  well-conducted  man  :  his 
conversation  was  in  good  taste,  and  his  manners 
were  unobjectionable.  His  son,  wiio  had  probably 
been  reared  in  the  public-house,  was  a  living  speci- 
men of  Mr.  Punch's  "  'Arry." 

The  citizens  of  the  United  States  had  plenty  of 
representatives  on  board.  A  cattle-breeder  of 
Pennsylvania  and  his  wife  were  types  of  what  are 
known  as  Pennsylvanian  Dutch.  They  had  a  varied 
assoi'tment  of  prize  animals  in  the  hold,  from  pigs 
down  to  collie  dogs.  They  were  the  first  specimens 
of  Pennsylvanian  Dutch  I  had  met,  and  the  impres- 
sion they  made  on  mo  was  singularly  fiivourable  to 
their  prize  animals.  In  striking  contrast  was  a 
family  from  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  The 
parents  had  spent  three  years  in  Germany  and  Bel- 
gium in  order  that  their  children  might  learn  German 
and  French.  They  were  all  marked  by  that  good 
breeding  and  refinement  which  is  the  distinctive 
characteristic  of  the  educated  classes  in  Massachu- 
setts, and    which  is  never  more  conspicuous   than 


J,- 


FROM    THE    THAMES   TO   THE    HUDSON. 


37 


would 
<  would 
io  avoid 
3ket  for 
y  other 
sh  flag, 
lave  the 
)ii  from 
steamer, 
ublicau, 
ind  who 
wish  by 
,nd  son. 
lan  :  his 
manners 
probably 
ig  speci- 

ilonty  of 

dor    of 

vhat  are 

a  varied 

om  pigs 

)ecimens 

impres- 
irablo  to 

:  was  a 
The 
md  Bel- 

Germaii 
lat  good 


I 


when  contrasted  with  the  manners  and  tastes  of 
those  who  inhabit  some  other  parts  of  the  Union. 
A  family  from  New  York  supplied  this  contrast  in  a 
lesser  degree  than  the  Pennsylvanian  couple.  They 
boasted  of  their  possessions,  and  were  confident  that 
nowhere  but  in  New  York  could  all  the  elegancies 
of  life  be  seen  and  enjoyed.  After  having  spoken  of 
the  luxury  in  which  they  lived  at  home,  they  would 
recount  how  cheaply  they  bad  contrived  to  live  in 
some  French  towns ;  an  uncharitable  person  might 
luive  entertained  a  suspicion  whether  the  homo 
luxury  was  not  a  figment  of  their  imaginations. 
Another  New  Yorker,  who  had  loft  London  after 
many  years'  residence  there  as  a  stockbroker,  was 
returning  to  try  his  fortune  in  his  native  city.  Ho 
was  a  very  pious  man,  at  least  in  conversation,  and 
he  spent  much  time  in  giving  good  advice  to  the 
steerage  passengers,  and  bewailing  the  wickedness 
of  the  human  race.  He  had  three  children,  one  of 
whom,  a  boy  of  about  eight,  was  the  most  mis- 
chievous child  I  ever  saw ;  he  had  not  prohted  by 
parental  training.  A  theological  student  from  New 
York,  who  had  finished  his  studies  in  Germany,  was 
W'ell primed  with  comments  on  men  and  things:  but 
frequent  attacks  of  sea-sickness  hindered  him  from 
giving  his  fellow-passengers  the  full  benefit  of  his 
acquirements.  Two  gentlemen  were  very  com- 
numicative  about  each  other  and  very  mysterious 
fubout  their  own  affairs.  They  had  met  before  in  an 
f ocean  steamer,  and  on  that  occasion  one  of  them 
■went  by  another  name.  One  volunteered  the  in- 
iformation  that  the  other  was  a  private  detective. 
tit  is  not  unusual  for  an  Atlantic  steamer  to  carry  a 
Ipassenger  or  two  who  journeys  under  compulsion 


'!<1 


.  u  n 
I, 


i'!l 

r  tI 


■    4 

i 


i 


!>■ 


"fe 


38 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


II 


rather  than  for  pleasure,  and  these  passengers  may- 
be classed  in  that  category.  An  ex -lieutenant  in  the 
navy  was  another  puzzling  passenger.  He  had  seen 
a  good  deal  of  service  in  the  Pacific,  and  had  a  fund 
of  interesting  pieces  of  information.  Why  ho  left 
the  navy  at  an  early  age,  when  his  prospect  of 
further  promotion  was  very  favourable,  he  could  not 
clearly  explain.  The  severe  attacks  of  rheumatism 
from  which  he  had  suffered  did  not  account  for  his 
resignation  so  completely  as  he  seemed  to  think. 
Rheumatism  is  an  insidious  and  debilitating  malady, 
but  its  symptoms  are  not,  so  far  as  I  am  aware, 
similar  to  those  which  may  be  caused  by  an  extreme 
liking  for  alcohol.  Several  ladies  were  going  to  join 
their  husbands,  taking  their  children  with  them. 
One  was  bound  for  the  far  distant  city  of  Winnipeg, 
the  capital  of  the  new  Canadian  Province  of  Mani- 
toba. Another  was  going  to  St.  Louis.  A  Southern 
lady,  who  had  the  ^distinction  of  being  a  poet  of  note 
in  her  own  land,  was  returning  home  with  the  plan 
of  a  new  poem  in  her  head.  A  Boston  lady  looked 
upon  the  poet  with  no  friendly  eye,  while  the  poet 
was  painfully  candid  in  expressing  her  opinion  of 
the  Northerners  who  had  beggared  her  in  the  war. 

A  Dutch  Protestant  clergyman  supplied  another 
element  of  novelty,  while  four  French  Canadians, 
one  of  whom  was  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  con- 
tributed still  further  to  diversify  the  gathering. 
These  Canadians  had  been  absent  from  home  for  ten 
months.  They  had  visited  England,  France,  Italy, 
and  the  Holy  Land,  and  seen  much  that  was  new 
and  strange ;  they  were  all  the  more  impressed  with 
the  spectacle  because  it  was  the  first  time  they 
had  left  their  native  country.     A  bitter  disappoJ  t- 


'% 


PROM    THE   THAMES   TO   TUE    HUDSON. 


39 


TS  may 
t  in  tlio 
ad  seen 
a  fund 
ho  left 
pect  of 
uld  not 
matism 
for  liis 
)  think, 
malady, 
aware, 
extreme 
r  to  join 
1  them, 
innipeg, 
f  Mani- 
outhern 
of  note 
he  plan 
looked 
)he  poet 
inion  of 
e  war. 
another 
iiadians, 
t,    con- 
ithering. 
for  ten 
3,  Italy, 
vas  new 
ed  with 
no   they 
Lippo?  t- 


mont  awaited  them  in  France.  They  had  looked 
forward  to  feeling  themselves  perfectly  at  homo 
there,  and  tliey  found  that  they  were  much  more  at 
home  in  England.  Though  French  was  their  native 
language,  yet  they  had  little  in  common  with  French- 
men. They  wore  struck  with  the  backwardness  of 
the  French  peasantry  as  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and 
pitied  the  way  in  which  the  latter  lived.  They  told 
me  that  the  cattle  of  a  Quebec  farmer  were  better 
housed  than  many  peasant  proprietors  in  France. 
With  farming  in  England,  and  more  particularly  in 
Scotland,  they  wore  much  impressed.  Probably 
they  returned  home  feeling  far  more  satisfied  to  live 
under  the  British  flag  than  they  were  when  Europe 
was  unknown  to  them  by  personal  observation. 

When     ]\Iartin    Chuzzlewit    and     Mark     Tapley 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  the  steerage  of  the  Screw^ 
they  were  as  thoroughly  separated  from  the  cabin 
passengers  as  they  would  have  been  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea.     Indeed,  nowhere  is   the  distinction  be- 
tween   classes     more     clearly    marked     and    more 
rigorously  maintained  than  on  board  an  ocean-going 
vessel.     Were  this  not  the  rule,  tlie  horrors  depicted 
in  Mr.  Maguire's  "  Irish  in  America "  would  em- 
bitter the  life  of  many  a  poor  and  forlorn  female 
emigrant.     It  is  with  good  reason,  then,  that  com- 
munication between  male  cabin  passengers,  tlie  crew, 
and  female  steerage   passengers   is   the   subject  of 
strict  regulation.     Desiring  to  inspect  the  steerage 
accommodation  on  board  the  Canada,  and  receiving 
the  requisite  permission,  I  went  over  that  part  of 
the    steamer  along  with  one    of   the    officers.     As 
many  as  GOO  passengers    could    be   housed    there. 
They  receive  treatment  of  which  they  could  not  vvoll 


:^ 


■;  ■•  I 


40 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


I  ;  I,; 


!!■; 


;,;:i 


complain  in  return  for  tlie  small  sum  paid  as  passage 
money.  The  food  is  abundant  and  well  cooked ;  in- 
deed, the  cooking  galley  is  a  pattern  of  cleanliness, 
being  as  carefully  adapted  for  its  purpose  as  that  in 
which  the  meals  of  the  cabin  passengers  are  pre- 
pared. Many  a  steerage  passenger  fares  better  on 
board  such  a  steamer  than  he  ever  did  on  shore.  A 
hospital  is  provided  for  the  ailing  of  either  sex ;  in 
the  female  hospital  special  provision  is  made  for  the 
arrival  of  sea-born  passengers.  Unmarried  women 
are  under  the  care  of  a  stewardess,  and  are  carefully 
separated  from  the  men.  Married  couples  have  a 
place  set  apart  for  them;  a  great  improvement 
might  easily  be  made  in  their  case.  Eight  couples 
occupy  as  many  berths ;  there  is  not  even  such  a 
conventional  separation  between  these  couples  as 
was  effected,  after  a  formal  treaty,  between  Sterne 
and  the  lady  traveller  with  whom  he  had  to  occupy 
the  same  room  during  his  "  Sentimental  Journey  " 
through  Savoy. 

To  effect  a  separation  would  cost  any  Steamship 
Company  little,  while  it  would  contribute  largely 
tow^ards  the  comfort  of  the  poorer  married  pas- 
sengers. Another  change,  easily  effected,  would 
benefit  married  and  single  alike.  They  have  as 
much  fresh  water  served  out  to  them  as  they  can 
desire.,  either  for  drinking  or  washing  purposes  ;  but 
they  cannot  wash  either  themselves  or  their  clothes, 
except  in  the  tin  pannikins  in  which  they  obtain  the 
water.  An  enclosed  place,  furnished  with  a  basin 
and  a  supply  of  water,  might  be  provided  in  which 
they  could  perform  their  ablutions  or  cleanse  their 
clothes  in  comparative  comfort.  Though  the  lot 
of  a  steerage  passenger  on   board  such  a  steamer 


"f 


FROM    TFIK    THAMES    TO    THE    HUDSON. 


41 


as  the  Canada  is  more  enviable  than  that  of  a 
cabin  passenger  en  board  the  sailing  ships  in  which 
nil  passengers  used  to  cross  the  ocean,  yet  the 
changes  I  have  indicated  would  be  decided  im- 
provements. 

After  three-fourths  of  the  distance  which  sepa- 
rates the  Old  World  from  the  New  have  been 
traversed,  the  passengers  are  requested  to  fill  up  a 
paper,  for  the  information  of  the  United  States' 
Government,  with  particulars  of  their  names,  ages, 
places  of  birth,  places  of  abode,  their  objects  in 
visiting  the  Republic,  and  with  declarations  whether 
they  have  been  there  before.  I  have  already  noted 
and  commented  on  this  requirement.'  It  is  one 
which  still  seems  to  me  extraordinary.  In  Russia, 
a  foreigner  is  not  surprised  to  be  called  upon  to 
inform  the  police  whence  he  comes,  whither  he  is 
directing  his  steps,  for  what  purpose  he  is  journey- 
ing to  and  fro,  how  long  he  has  lived  in  the  world, 
in  what  place  he  first  saw  the  light,  in  what  county 
lie  has  a  home,  what  is  the  colour  of  his  hair  and 
eyes,  how  his  nose  is  shaped  and  his  mouth  is 
formed,  and  what  is  the  exact  distance  between  the 
crown  of  his  head  and  the  soles  of  his  feet.  The 
visitor  to  the  United  States  may  be  pardoned  for 
thinking  that  he  ought  to  be  permitted  to  land  there 
without  being  treated  as  if  he  entered  Russia.  The 
absurdity  of  the  demand  is  paralleled  by  the  in- 
adequacy of  the  information  supplied.  Ladies 
generally  delegate  to  the  Purser  the  duty  of  filling 
up  the  papers  which  concern  them ;  the  Purser  is 
guided  in  his  task  by  the  flattering  fiction  that  the 

*  "  Westward  by  Rail :  a  Journey  to  San  Francisco  and  Back." 
Third  Edition,  pp.  42,  43. 


'Its 

n 


H 


42 


COLUMnrA    AND   CANADA. 


nil 


I!  Hi 


maximum  age  of  a  lady  passenger  is  twenty-five. 
Till  recently  the  owners  or  masters  of  vessels  were 
retjuired  to  pay  two  dollars  for  every  passenger 
whom  tliey  landed  for  the  first  time  witliin  the  terri- 
tory of  the  State  of  Now  York,  and  to  give  bonds 
that  they  would  not  land  any  one  who,  being  poor, 
as  well  as  friendless  and  homeless,  might  seek  an 
asylum  there,  and  become  a  charge  upon  the  public. 
The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  has  decided 
that  it  is  unconstitutional  for  any  State  to  exact  the 
payment  for  passengers  who  set  their  feet  on  American 
soil  for  the  first  time,  and  to  enforce  a  rule  against  the 
conveyance  of  destitute  persons.  The  decision  is  a 
creditable  one.  I  am  unable  to  reconcile  it,  liowever, 
with  one  delivered  by  the  same  august  Tribunal  in 
1845  when,  after  an  argument  from.  Webster  in  sup- 
port of  the  practice,  it  decided  that  the  City  of  New 
York  had  a  right  to  impose  a  tax  upon  immigrants.^ 
In  the  absence  of  an  explanation  it  must  be  held  that 
the  Supreme  Court  has  given  contradictory  decisions 
on  the  same  point  of  constitutional  law. 

The  incidents  of  the  voyage  were  of  the  usual 
kind.  Imaginative  passengers  saw  spouting  whales 
where  other  people  could  discover  nothing  but  the 
crests  of  waves.  It  blew  a  gale  for  a  couple  of  days, 
and  nervous  passengers  were  apprehensive  lest  the 
vessel  should  go  to  the  bottom  at  any  moment.  One 
passenger  made  the  discovery  that  the  screw,  having 
got  loose,  was  kept  affixed  to  the  shaft  by  a  rope, 
and  that,  as  the  Canada  had  no  bulwarks  and 
was  lightly  laden,  the  risk  of  destruction  was  very 
great.      The   only  screw   really  loose  was    in   this 

'^  Sir  Charles  Lyell's  "Travels  iu  North  America."  Second 
Series,  vol.  i.  p.  263. 


i 


FROM    TIIK    THAMES   TO    THE    HUDSON. 


43 


passenger's  head.  Worse  than  strong  contrary 
winds,  y-Mch  merely  delayed  our  progress,  were  the 
days  of  dense  fog  and  of  rain.  But  at  last  the 
pilot  comes  on  board;  the  holder  of  the  number 
considered  unlucky  being  the  winner  of  the  sweep- 
stake based  on  the  number  of  the  pilot's  boat ;  old 
newspapers  are  received  and  read  with  eagerness  by 
passengers  who  have  been  several  days  at  sea,  and 
who,  for  lack  of  the  morning  and  evening  newspapers, 
have  little  to  talk  about.  Sandy  Hook  is  passed,  and 
the  steamer  drops  her  anchor  off  Staten  Island.  The 
green  trees  and  pleasant-looking  villas  on  shore  aro 
most  attractive  to  spectators  who  are  tired  of  the  sight 
of  the  waste  of  waters,  and  who  know  nothing  of 
the  ague  which  is  the  scourge  of  this  pretty  island. 
The  health  officer  next  appears,  and  finds  every- 
thing in  good  order.  A  steward  who  cut  his  hand 
when  drawing  a  cork  out  of  a  bottle,  and  a  sailor 
who  injured  his  face  by  falling  down  the  hold,  are 
the  only  invalids  on  board,  even  the  lady  who  suf- 
fered from  bottled  stout  having  been  pronounced 
convalescent  by  the  doctor.  Then  the  wharf  on  the 
Hudson  River  is  reached ;  acquaintanceships  are 
broken,  never,  perhaps,  to  be  renewed ;  hearty  fare- 
wells are  said  to  Captain  Sumner  and  the  other 
excellent  officers  of  a  splendid  and  comfortable  ship; 
warm  thanks  are  specially  given  to  Mr.  Bell,  the 
Purser,  for  much  courtesy  and  attention,  and  the 
passengers  nerve  themselves  for  an  interview  with 
the  Custom-House  officers  of  New  York. 


■'.i\'  !'!ii 


u^^^ 

44 


tr 


III. 


THE   EMl'lUE   CITY. 


1 


»i 


'/ 


In  tlio  land  of  freedom,  upwards  of  two  tliousaiid 
articles  are  liable  to  custom's  duty.  Before  landing, 
the  traveller  lias  to  make  out  a  list  of  the  contents 
of  his  luggage.  After  landing,  he  is  taken  before  a 
magistrate  in  order  to  affirm  upon  oath  that  the 
declaration  which  he  made  in  writing  is  trustworthy. 
Having  sworn  to  the  truth  of  the  statement,  an 
officer  is  then  deputed  to  search  the  traveller's 
luggage  for  smuggled  goods.  Either  the  declaration 
or  the  search  is  uimecessary.  Tlie  visitor  to  the 
Republic,  as  well  as  any  citizen  who  returns  to  it,  is 
treated  as  a  probable  perjurer. 

Twice  have  I  passed  unscathed  through  the  ordeal 
of  the  New  York  Custom  House ;  on  neither  occasion 
could  I  have  suffered  harm,  for  nothing  in  my 
possession  could  be  declared  contraband.  This  time, 
the  officer  asked  me  to  unlock  a  box  containing  my 
wife's  wearing  apparel ;  before  searching  it,  he  asked 
me  Avhcther  I  was  an  American  Citizen ;  I  replied 
that  I  had  no  claim  to  so  honourable  a  title,  that 
I  was  a  harmless  traveller  bent  upon  journeying 
through  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  that  I 
looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  seeing  at  Philadelphia 
the  fiuest  International  Exhibition  which  had  ever 


Tiir:  K.MPinE  crrv. 


45 


been  formed  ;  tlicron])on  lie  qui(!tly  remarked,  "  Guess 
thiit  Avill  do,"  closed  the  box,  declining  to  search  any 
other  articles  of  lufj^gnge.     Tlie  lu^'gage  belono'ing 
to  fello\v-})assengers,  who  hud  the  distinction  of  being 
citizens  of  the  United   States,  was   subjected  to  a 
more  trofiblesome  examination.     One  of  them  had 
to  ])art  with  all  his  spare  cash  in  oi'dcr  to  pay  duty 
upon  a  present  which  he  had  brought  to  his  mother. 
Another,  who  had   declared   on  board   the  Canada 
that  he  considered  the  tariff  of  his  country  iniquitous 
and  snniggling  a  legitimate  pi'otest,  had  his  luggage 
ransacked  most  conscientiously,  whilst  his  wife  and 
children  stood  by  and  groaned  as  payment  of  duty 
was  demanded  for  one  article  after  another.     To  bo 
'rmitted  to  leave  the  Custom  House  with   one's 
^^gage  intact  is  a  triumph  ;  to  drive  to  a  hotel  with- 
out being  overcharged  is  an  impossibility.     This  is 
no  new  experience.     Writing  in  the  year  1828,  Mr. 
James  Stuart  says,  "  The  hackney  coaches  are  only 
constructed  for  four  persons,  very  nice-looking  with- 
out and  within,  generally  driven  by  Irishmen,  or  men 
of  colour,  who  are,  we  found,  as  apt  to  overcharge 
strangers  as  in  other  places."  '     A  curious  fiction 
prevails  to  the  effect  that  the  fares  are  calculated 
according  to  a  fixed  and  authorized  tariff.     The  New 
York  "  hackmen  "  treat  this  with  ridicule.     The  only 
tariff  which  I  have  been  able  to  discover  existed  in 
their  fertile  imaginations,  and  baffled  those  persons 
who  were  accustomed  to  old-world  rules  of  computa- 
tion.    Once  I  tried  to  make  a  bargain  before  starting, 
and  pointed  out  to  an  intelligent  citizen  that  the  sum 
he  asked  was  four  times  greater  than  that  to  Avliich 


'  "  Three  Years  in  North  America," 


vol.  i.  p.  2-Jj. 


1-^ 


T'TFv 


46 


COrUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


he  was  legally  entitled ;  his  response  was,  "  Guess 
you  can  leave  it  then."  On  the  present  occasion,  I 
had  to  pay  four  dollars  for  being  driven  from  the 
wharf  of  the  National  line  to  the  Sturtevant  House 
in  Broadway.  One-fourth  of  the  sum  would  be  con- 
sidered dear  in  Paris,  Berlin,  Vienna,  or  London, 
and  not  more  than  one-fourth  would  be  asked  by 
the  well-regulated  "  hackmen "  of  the  capital  of 
Massachusetts.  Many  sympathizing  citi'^ens  were 
good  enough  to  "  guess  "  that  I  had  been  shame- 
fully overcharged,  but  they  were  unable  to  suggest 
what  I  ought  to  have  done  in  order  to  pay  less. 
Indeed,  it  appears  to  be  the  custom  in  New  York 
to  denounce  the  extortionate  dem.ands  of  "hackmen," 
and  to  submit  to  them.  No  one  takes  a  "hack" 
unless  compelled  to  do  so.  1*",  is  easy  to  get  from 
one  part  of  the  city  to  another  for  a  trilie  in  a  street 
car  or  an  omnibus.  But  the  stranger  who  steps  on 
shore  encumbered  with  juggage  is  unable  to  dispen'^e 
with  the  "  hackman's  "  costly  help,  and,  as  strangers 
are  the  chief  sufferers,  New  Yorkers  can  bear  the 
infliction  with  tolerable  equanimity. 

Since  I  saw  New  York  in  1869,  a  good  many  things 
have  happened  there,  as  well  as  in  other  places. 
Most  important  among  them,  in  the  opinion  ci'the 
citizens,  is  the  dislodgment  of  Mr.  Tweed  and  his 
friends  from  public  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility. 
This  is  rej^arded  as  a  civic  revolution  brouGfht 
about,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Neio  York  TimcH^  by 
the  united  efforts  of  honest  men.  It  was  confidently 
anticipated  that  the  era  of  lavish  expenditure  and 
of  knavish  appropriation  of  the  public  funds,  of  a 
system  of  government  maintained  by  plundering  the 
rich  and  corrupting  the  poor,l;ad  deiinitely  closed,  and 


THE   EliriRE   CITY. 


47 


aces, 
i' the 
liis 

ility. 
iijrlit 

O 

-s,  by 

mtly 

and 

of  a 

the 

and 


that  an  era  of  efficient,  economical  and  laudable 
administration  was  about  to  begin.  A  lesson  had 
been  taught  to  the  wrong-doers.  Mr.  Tweed  having 
been  convicted  of  malversation,  was  ordered  to  re- 
fund the  enormous  sum  of  $0,000,000.  He  managed 
to  escape  from  prison,  but  has  been  recaptured,  and 
will  have  to  make  restitution  in  order  to  regain  his 
liberty.  A  stranger  does  not  see  much  improvement 
in  the  external  condition  of  the  city.  The  streets  are 
as  badly  paved  now  as  they  were  in  the  days  when 
much  of  the  money  charged  for  doing  public  work 
remained  in  the  ;-ockets  of  the  contractors. 

How  profiiable  it  must  once  have  been,  and  may  yet 
be  to  undertake  to  pave  the  streets  of  New  York  is 
shown  by  the  disclosures  made  during  a  suit  in  the 
Supreme  Court  a'^-ainst  the  Nicholson  Pavement 
Company.  A  particular  piece  of  work  was  executed 
by  the  Company  for  the  sum  of  $1 ,500,000 ;  the 
nett  profit  amounted  to  $775,000.  When  the  return 
is  so  largo,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  the  pavement 
should  be  rather  uneven,  and  in  constant  need  of 
repair.  The  Court  House,  upon  which  $12,000,000 
were  nominally  expended,  while  Mr.  Tweed  was  in 
power,  is  still  unfinished. 

The  New  York  ratepayer  has  not  profited  by  the 
substitution  of  a  city  governmeni,,  wliich  was  to  be 
a  pattern  of  purity,  for  one  which  was  infamous  for 
roguery.  In  1870,  tlie  debt  was  neaily  $55,000,000  ; 
now,  including  the  floating  debt,  it  is  upwards  of 
SI 01,000,000.  No  other  city  in  the  world,  except 
Paris,  liF  ^  so  large  a  debt;  that  of  London  is  but  a 
trifle  in  comparison.  It  is  clear  that  men  who  were 
to  be  model  administrators  have  been  able  to  spend 
money  as  Javishly  as  their  peculating  jjredecessors  ; 


li 


i  u 

I  il 


''  tl 


I  ii 


-\>>  ^ 


rr: 


1^1  ,f.,'J  '^B 


BRas 


npRB 


^Ft^ 


48 


COLiniriTA    AND   CANADA. 


II 


If" 


it  is  doubtful  whether  the  difference  between  the  two 
sets  of  administrators  is  obvious  to  those  who  pay 
I'ates  ;  certainly,  it  cannot  be  detected  by  the  stranger 
who  paces  the  badly  paved  streets. 

The  Central  Park,  which  is  not  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  MunicipaHty,  is  a  striking  contrast  to 
the  other  objects  of  public  interest  which  are  main- 
tained out  of  the  public  purse.  In  the  extent  of 
wood  and  water,  smooth  turf  and  flower-beds,  and 
in  the  roads  kept  in  excellent  repair,  this  Park  has 
few  equals.  It  is  none  the  less  attractive  though  tlio 
statue  of  Mr.  T\veed,which  some  enthusiastic  admirers 
desired  to  set  up  either  there  or  in  the  city  at  the 
cost  of  the  ratepayers,  is  still  absent.  Instead  of 
this  statue,  the  public  are  provided  with  a  Menagerie 
gratis.  The  collection  of  wild  beasts  comprises  a 
bison,  a  goat,  a  couple  of  parrots,  several  monkeys,  a 
lion,  tiger,  and  leopard,  and  many  ordinary  beasts  and 
birds  of  prey.  The  lion,  tiger,  and  leopard  appear 
exceedingly  unhappy.  They  are  shown,  not  in  dens 
where  they  may  retire  from  public  gazo,  and  take 
refuge  from  affectionate  demonstrations  conveyed  by 
the  points  of  umbrellas  aiid  sticks,  but  in  cages 
bc^rred  all  round,  and  placed  so  that  they  can  be 
approached  on  all  sides. 

In  the  last  half-yearly  report  of  Mr.  Conkling,  the 
Director  of  tiio  Menagerie,  there  are  some  interesting 
statistics  about  the  cost  of  maintaining  the  animals. 
An  Elephant  is  the  most  expensive,  its  keep  causing 
an  outlay  of  $250  a  year.  The  grizzly  Bear  and  the 
Camel  come  next ;  one  of  them  can  be  kept  for  $150. 
A  very  fine  Lion,  with  the  special  qualification  of 
being  a  good  roarer,  can  bo  kept  for  the  smjdl  outlay 
of  $125.     A  Jaguar  costs  $104,  a  Zebra  $75  for 


TTTE    EMriHi;    f'TTY 


49 


?ausiug 
md  the 
r$150. 
tion  of 
outlay 
>75  for 


"41 


vciirly  keep,  while  the  trifling  sum  of  S()-"}  is  sufficient 
to  niaiutuin  a  Hyena,  Leopard,  or  Puma.  Tlie 
lunnber  of  animals  at  the  end  of  1875  Avas  G26;  at 
the  end  of  1873,  when  I  believe  the  IMonagerie  to 
liave  been  established,  the  number  was  455  ;  thus  the 
increase  in  the  course  of  three  years  was  171. 

The  newspaper  in  which  I  read  these  statistics 
contained  a  letter  penned  by  Macaulay,  aiul  predict- 
ing future  woo  for  the  liepublic  when  the  population 
grew  dense,  and  thousands,  wlio  were  unable  to  get 
(Hnners,  were  face  to  face  in  angry  mood  with  fellow- 
citizens  who  A^ere  unable  to  digest  the  sumptuous 
dinners  prepared  for  them.  Thou  the  institutions  of 
the  Republic  would  be  subjected  to  a  strain  which 
might  prove  fatal  to  them.  Allowing  for  the  pro- 
gressive increase  of  living  things  in  this  growing 
country,  the  wild  animals  in  the  Central  Park 
Menagerie  w'U  number  about  half  a  million  at  the 
tin.o  when  there  are  two  hundred  persons  to  th'> 
square  mile,  and  it  is  difficult  to  procure  food. 
This  prospect  is  more  appalling  than  any  which  has 
alarmed  those  persons  who  fear  what  the  future  will 
bring  forth  in  a  country  governed  by  the  democracy. 
Yet,  though  many  have  been  led  by  the  vaticinations 
of  Macaulay  to  indulge  in  forebodings  about  what 
may  occur,  no  one  lias  })aid  heed  to  the  moi-e  terribl(3 
state  of  things  which  would  ensue  if  half  a  million 
of  wild  beasts  were  famishino;.  The  danjTrer  in  the 
one  case  is  as  real  as  in  the  other.  Starving 
democrats  may  try  and  eat  the  wild  beasts,  oi-  tlu! 
ravening  beasts  may  feast  upon  the  poor  democrats. 
1  leave  the  result  to  those  persons  who  possess  a  vivid 
imagination,  and  who  are  |)rc>pared  to  foretell  what 
will  lKip|)eu  a  hundred  or  a  thousand  3'erirs  hcMice : 

E 


i 


! 

i  I 


^1 


V 


50 


COLCMniA    AND    CANADA. 


■li- 


as I  do  not  know  what  will  occur  then,  I  shall  avoid 
being  mistaken  by  declining  to  propliccy. 

Complaints  about  the  scarcity  of  work  are  common 
among  artificers,  yet  there  is  no  lack  of  new  buildings, 
and  of  new  churches  in  particular.  In  walking 
along  Fifth  Avenue  I  began  to  count  the  numl)er  of 
clnirch  spires,  and  found  that  they  were  too  many  to 
be  kept  in  remembrance.  Some  of  tlie  new  Presby- 
terian Churches  are  imposing  structures ;  they  are 
surpassed,  however,  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Catliedral 
of  St.  Patrick,  a  marble  edifice  of  vast  proportions 
and  an  effective  architectural  design.  Tlie  material 
used  is  white  marble.  The  cost  must  be  enormous. 
The  money  required  is  readily  forthcoming,  much  of 
it  being  contributed  ])y  Irish  servant-girls,  Avho 
freely  part  with  a  poi'tion  of  their  wages  for  the 
honour  of  their  fiiith.  Internally,  some  of  these 
churches  are  as  remarkable  as  they  are  in  external 
appearance.  The  Rev.  Dr.  McGibbon,  who  came 
from  Australia  to  the  United  States,  returned  homo 
amazed  at  what  he  had  seen  in  New  York.  The 
following  is  the  judgment  Avhich  he  passed  upon  Dr. 
Hall's  Church  there,  a  judgment  which,  if  rather 
severe,  cannot  be  said  to  be  cliargcd  "with  the  narrow 
prejudices  that  might  predominati  in  the  mind  of  a 
clergyman  whose  home  and  sphere  of  clerical  duty 
had  lain  in  the  Mother  Country :  "  I  submit  that 
the  magnificence  of  the  temple  in  which  Dr.  Hall 
ministers,  its  gorgeous  exterior,  its  massive  steeple, 
its  elaborate  windows,  its  luxurious  pews,  its  richly- 
carpeted  and  upholstered  stairs  and  seats,  its  skylight, 
its  polished  wood,  and  its  unique  everything,  costing 
82,000,000,  ought  to  be  condemned  as  a  sinfid  waste, 
and   a   practical  notice  to  the  poor  that   '  here  the 


THE    EMPIKK    C  ITV 


51 


Gospel  and  tlio  ordinances  of  Christ  aro  intended  for 
tlio  ricli.'"  While  clmrchcs  have  risen  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  established  creeds,  a  new  rehgion  has  been 
offered  for  the  considciution  of  New  Yorkers.  In 
Paris  and  London,  tlie  believers  in  Comto  have  long 
held  services  such  as  ho  enjoined,  and  practised  the 
religion  which  he  devised.  Only  now  has  New 
York  been  favoured  in  the  same  way,  for  not  till 
this  year  has  the  religion  of  Humanity  been  formally 
incorporated  and  classed  among  creeds  recognized 
by  law.  In  the  articles  of  incorporation  its  objects 
aro  said  to  be  "  to  develope  and  extend  a  knowledge 
of  the  synthetic  and  religious  nature  of  science  and 
humanity;  second,  to  preserve  them,  instead  of 
theology,  as  the  basis  and  substance  of  religion ;  and 
third,  to  practise  and  promote  such  religion  as  the 
foundation  of  religious  and  social  duties  of  human 
welfare  and  progress." 

Till  I  heard  of  the  death  of  Baron  do  Palm,  and 
learned  the  nature  of  the  funeral  service  performed 
over  his  remains  before  burning  them  at  a  more 
convenient  season,  I  was  unaware  that  a  Theosophical 
Society  existed  in  New  York,  and  that  its  design 
was  to  revive  some  of  the  rites  of  the  Pagan 
Egyptians.  The  High  Priest  is  Colonel  Olcott.  The 
service  was  held  on  Sunday  in  the  Grand  Lodge 
Room  of  the  Masonic  Temple.  At  the  head  of  the 
coffin  was  a  bronze  cross  with  a  serpent  twined 
round  it  •  a  censer  containing  incense  was  at  the 
foot ;  fievcn  coloured  candles  were  burning  upon  it ; 
the  incense  and  the  candles  being  supposed  to 
symbohze  the  ancient  Sun-worship.  When  the 
service  began,  seven  men  dressed  in  black  robes,  and 
with  palms  in  their  hands,  ranged  themselves  behind 

F   '> 


1 


■,  ! 


m 


I'ii 


I  \  ■ 

i 

i>; 

! 

t 

1 

I 

•1 

52 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


I  '  '::-■ 


the  coffin  ;  an  Orpliic  liymn  was  then  sung,  one  verse 
will  suffice  for  a  specimen  of  the  whole : — 

"  Oh  Thou  that  givcst  liglit  from  high, 
Eternal  Ether,  P''atlier's  mind — 
Firo-sea  tl  :■  feod'st  majestic  suns, 
Let  him  imm  rtal  he." 

The  Theosophie  Litany,  bearing  a  resemblance  to 
compositions  of  the  kind  which  have  been  framed  by 
the  founders  of  new  creeds,  was  then  repeated  by 
Colonel  Olcott,  who  afterwards  delivered  an  address. 
The  following  passage  will  convey  a  fair  understand- 
ing of  the  views  of  this  strange  body  : — "  This  Society 
is  neither  religious,  nor  charitable,  nor  scientific.  Its 
objects  are  to  inquire,  not  to  ^cach,  and  its  mem- 
bers consist  of  men  of  various  creeds  and  beliefs. 
Tlieology  means  the  revealed  knowledge  of  God, 
and  Theosophy  the  direct  knowledge  of  God.  The 
one  asks  us  to  believe  what  some  one  else  had  seen 
and  heard,  and  the  other  tells  us  to  see  and  hear 
what  we  can  for  oursc^lves.  Theosophy  teaches  that 
by  cultivation  of  his  powers  a  man  may  be  inwardly 
illumined,  and  get  thereby  a  knowledge  of  his  own 
God-like  qualities.  It  believes  in  no  death-bed 
repentance.  It  considers  the  rulFian  who  stands 
under  the  gallows  a  ruffian  still,  though  twenty 
prayers  may  have  been  uttered  over  liim." 

Overlooking  the  Central  Park  is  a  plain  but 
imposing  structure  just  completed,  and  known  as 
the  Lenox  Library.  It  is  designed  to  contain  the 
manuscripts,  works  of  art,  and  books  collected  by  its 
founder,  and  now  made  accessible  to  the  public  in 
this  })uilding.     Mr.  Lenox  is  a  merchant  who  has 


■o' 


devoted  much  of  his  fortune  to  collectinor  rare  and 


THE    EMPIRE    CITY 


63 


useful  works  in  art  and  literature,  and  who  lias 
decided  to  render  what  has  been  the  amusement  of 
liis  life  a  valuable  possession  for  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  certainly  has  done  better  than  the  Lite  Mr. 
Stewart,  whose  only  memorial  is  a  large  store  and  a 
white  marble  palace  in  Broadway.  Many  years  were 
spcMit  in  accumuhiting  his  wealth  and  building  the 
palace  in  which  ho  died ;  the  memory  of  both  will  soon 
pass  away  and  his  own  name  be  forgotten,  because 
he  failed  to  devote  a  share  of  his  colossal  fortune 
to  some  object  of  public  interest.  The  bitterest 
disappointment  which  the  New  Yorkers  have  had  for 
many  a  day  was  to  learn  that  the  Mr.  Stewart  of 
whom  they  were  proud,  and  whom  they  were 
accustomed  to  cite  as  a  product  of  their  unrivalled 
institutions,  should  have  omitted  to  assign  any  part 
of  his  fortune  for  the  adornment  or  benefit  of  the 
city. 

The  office  of  the  Nciv  York  Herald,  a  conspicuous 
marble  edifice,  was  one  of  the  sights  when  I  was 
last  here.  The  office  of  the  Now  Yorh  Tribune  is 
now  a  counter-attraction.  A  splendid  view  can  bo 
had  from  the  upper  windows  of  the  lofty  tower 
wliich  crowns  the  Trihune  building.  Seldom  have  I 
seen  a  more  skilfully-planned  and  carefully-finished 
structure  than  this.  The  lower  floors  arc  let  out  as 
l)nsiiiess  offices  ;  the  upper  ones  are  devoted  to  the 
editorial  and  printing  departments  of  the  newspaper. 
The  persons  who  grudge  the  time  and  breath  con- 
i-uined  in  ascendino:  the  long  flight  of  stairs  can  jjo 
in  a  twinkling  from  bottom  to  top  in  a  steam  lift, 
which  is  constantly  asccndiug  and  descending. 

The  Trlhnnr  has  undergone  great  changes  during 
hite  years.     The  deatli  of  Mr.  Horace  Greeley,  its 


•  il 


i\    I 


54 


COLUMIUA    AM)    CANADA. 


B 


founder  and  editor,  was  not  followed  l)y  tli(3  deteriora- 
tion in  the  character  of  the  paper  which  was  generally 
but  erroneously  expected.  Its  loss  has  been  a  gain. 
The  crochets  and  personalities  in  which  Mr.  Greeley 
delighted  have  ceased  to  characterize  it.  Public 
topics  are  now  discussed  in  its  columns  on  purely 
public  grounds.  Mr.  Whitelaw  Reid,  a  representative 
journalist  of  the  modern  school,  who  is  the  present 
editor,  has  extended  the  influence  of  the  newspaper 
by  his  splendid  supervising  and  critical  faculty,  and 
largely  increased  its  weight  as  an  organ  of  cultivated 
opinion.  The  letters  of  its  well-known  London  Cor- 
respondent, Mr.  G.  W.  Smalley,  have  contributed  in 
a  marked  degree  to  elevate  the  power  of  the  Tribune. 
During  tlie  Franco-German  AVar  no  other  journal 
in  the  United  States  was  better  supplied  with  in- 
telligence ;  I  have  heard  Mr.  Smalley' s  services 
in  tliis  respect  pronounced  exceptional  by  a  mag- 
nate of  the  London  daily  press,  and  Mr.  Smalley 
himself  hailed  as  "  The  Napoleon  of  journalism." 
The  elfectiveness  of  the  letters  of  the  London  cor- 
respondent of  the  Trihmie  is  enhanced  by  the  fact 
tliat  the  minutest  shortcomings  of  English  public 
men,  and  the  slightest  failings  in  English  social  life, 
are  unsparingly  detailed  and  condemned  by  his 
})ungent  and  lively  pen. 

The  journals  of  New  York  are  many  in  number 
ami  varied  in  excellence.  I  have  already  men- 
tioned the  Tribune,  which  is  one  of  the  most  notable, 
I  may  name  a  few  others  which  are  equally 
conspicuous ;  to  enumerate  and  discuss  them  all 
will  require  the  conqjass  of  a  volume.  The  Herald, 
which  ])ants  after  a  reputation  for  onniipresence,  is 
foremost   in   circulation    and    |)opular   favour;    the 


i  I 


THE    EMI'I.UE    CITY. 


56 


oTcrnn  of  no  party,  its  support  is  accounted  a  great 
gain  ;  when,  with  some  hesitation,  it  finally  declared 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union,  President  Lincoln 
declared  that  his  hands  were  strengthened,  and  that 
tlie   good   cause   had   acquired   an  ally  which  was 
worth  an  army.     The  World,  whicli  represents  the 
Democratic  party,  is  written  with  great  vigour  ;  the 
late  Charles  Sunnier,  who  detested  its  politics,  told 
me  that  ho  admired  tho  literary  finish  which   fre- 
(juently   characterized    its    leading    articles.      The 
Times  has  recently  been  the  uncompromising  advo- 
cate of  the  extreme  section  of  the  Eepublican  party ; 
it  distinguished  itself  by  unearthing  the  misdeeds  of 
Mr.  Tweed  and  his  accomplices,  and  acquired  an 
amount  of  credit  whicli  is  gradually  diminishing  ;  in 
the  opinion  of  bitter  patriots    it  did  not  deserve  all 
tho  praise  which  it  once  received,  seeing  that  it  wa". 
tlion  under  the  editorship  of  an  Englishman.    The  iSun 
prints  what  people  in  general  hesitate  to  utter;  it  is  tlie 
terror  of  those  persons  who  shun  notoriety,  and  the 
dcHght  of  scandal-mongers.    Quite  as  noteworthy  as 
any  of  these  daily  journals  and  more  influential  over 
cultured  opinion  tlian  all  of  them  combined,  is  tho 
weekly  Nation,  whicli  combines  the  best  qualities  of 
tho  Satnrdai/  Rcvicui  and  the  Spectator,  which  treats 
political,  social,  and  economic  topics  with  a  freshness 
of  tone  which  is  most  gratifying,  and   an  acerbity 
which  does  not  always  give  pleasure;  though  in- 
discreet admirers  may  unreasonably  contend  that  it 
is  both  infallible  and  omniscient,  yet  no  judicious 
person    can   deny  that  it  is  exceptionally  well  in- 
formed and  that,  on  momentous  questions  of  public 
policy,  it  is  generally  in  the  right. 

in  the  press  of  the  United  States  less  attention  is 


-'■  !l 


k 

nil 


;: 


i  \i } 


/(• 


06 


COIiUMIilA    AND    CANADA. 


» 


paid  to  how  a  tiling  is  said,  than  to  the  consideration 
whether  the  statement  be  worth  printing.  LMc- 
tures{{ueness  of  phrase  is  preferred  to  purity  of  style. 
Newspai)er  English  in  the  Republic  is  often  a  com- 
pound of  newly-coined  words,  which  seems  very  fine 
to  young  writers,  and  which  is  not  always  intelligible 
to  ordinary  readers.  One  journal  is  distinguished 
among  its  contemporaries  for  striving  to  preserve 
the  use  of  idiomatic  and  irreproachable  English. 
This  is  ihe  Nciu  York  Eocnimj  Post,  over  which  j\Ir. 
Bryant,  one  of  the  most  notable  among  modern 
poets,  exercised  editorial  authority  for  many  years. 
He  endeavoured  to  train  his  contributors  to  write 
well,  and  his  example  has  been  as  salutary  as  his 
precept.  I  have  obtained  a  copy  of  the  list  of 
words  which  he  forbids  his  contributors  to  employ ; 
as  I  think  it  more  instructive  than  a  chapter  of 
dissertation,  I  reprint  it  in  full.  Some  of  the  faults 
of  expression  which  Mr.  Bryant  censures  are  com- 
mitted by  other  journalists  than  those  of  the  United 
States. 

The  objectionable  word  or   phrase  is  printed  in 
italics  : — 

Mil.  WILLIAM   CULLEN    I3UYANT'S    "INDEX   EXPURGATORIUS." 


Above  and  over, 
Action, 
Aj'tenranls, 
Aijjrcijate, 

Artiste, 
Assomblij  man, 

Aspirant. 

Auditorium, 

Authoress. 

Areraric, 

Advocation, 


for  more  tlian. 

,,  proceeding. 

,,  afterward. 

,,  altogether,  or 
total. 

,,  artist. 

,,  member  of  As- 
sembly. 

,,  auditory. 

„  ordinary. 
,,  vocation. 


Baijjing,  for  capturing. 

Balance,  ,,  remainder. 

Bawinct,  „  dinner,  or  supper. 

Base,  us  a  verb. 

Beat,  for  defeat. 

Boijus. 

Brother  Jonathan,  for  United  States. 

Call  attention,  for  direct  attention. 

Casket,  „    coffin. 

Claimed,  „    asserted. 

Collided. 

Collateral,  „   collateral  security- 

Coiiimeiicc  ,,    ^ogiu. 


V 


Tin;    EMl'IJJH    CITY. 


57 


for  cloRO,  or  end. 
„  meiiihor   of  Cou- 

prcBa. 
„   ju'occHsidii. 
,,  coiilc'iiipmiiry. 
„  two. 
„   ten  ycara. 
,,    station. 
„  ii('.L,'ro. 


CoHchtHivn , 
Cungiri^stnan, 

Couple, 
Ihradi; 

Ihitj  before  yesterdcuj,  for  tlii>  day  be- 
fore yiistcrday. 

lk'ceiti<e,  as  a  verb. 

Vi'iaiici'arij,    a[)[»lied    to    a    political 

party. 
lh'i-rl(>iH',  for  expose. 
IKviiitriiiij  eletiiciit,  for  fire. 
Iiimatc. 
lun)iloiic'- 

Endorse,  for  approve. 
Ell  ro}i.te. 

"  Esq." 

E,dl, 

En:<het, 

dents, 

(Traduates, 

(Inrnhacks, 

llardlij, 

"Ilun}' 

lliiuse,  for  IIoiisc  of  llopresontatives. 

Ilumhiuj. 

for  begin. 
,,    dobt. 


for  autumn. 
,,  flood. 
,,   geutlenion. 
,,  is  graduated. 
„   Treasury  notes. 
„  scarcely. 


Inauriurate, 
[ndehtedness, 
In  our  midst. 
Interment, 
Interred, 


,,   burial. 
„    buried. 
Is  heimj  done,  and  ail  passives  of  this 

form. 
Issue,  for  question  or  aubj'ect. 
Item,  for  particle,  extriict,  or  para- 
graph. 
Jeopardize. 


Juhn  [I'M, 

for 

Great  Britai 

.fnbilant, 

rejoicing. 

Juvenile, 

boy. 

Lady, 

wife. 

Last, 

latest. 

LcHjthy, 

loug. 

Len  iency, 

lenity. 

l.<'ajer. 

Loan  or  loaned, 

'> 

lend  or  lent 

Located. 

Majority,    relating   to  places  or  cir- 

ounistani-es,  for  most. 
Miiterinlhj,  for  largely  or  gi'catly. 
Mrs,  President,  j\Lrs.   Oovernor,  .^Irs, 

General,  and  all  similar  titles. 
Mutual,      for  coniinon. 
Nominee,     „   candidate. 
Notice,        „  observe,  or  mention. 
Natiierons,  as  nppli(!d  to  any   noun, 

save  a  noun  of  inultitudo. 
Official,  for  otficer. 
(hi  yesterday. 
Our  first  2>'i'je,ior  first  page  of  tho 

Evening  Post. 
Oration. 

Over  his  signature. 
Pants,  for  pantaloons. 

Parties,  „  jiersons. 

Partially,  „  partly. 

Past  two  weeks,  for  last  two  weeks, 

and  all   similar  expressions 

relating  to  a  definite  time. 
Poetess. 

Portion,  for  part. 

Posted,  „    informed. 

Primaries,  „   primary  meetings. 

J'rior  to,  „    beforo. 

Progress,  „   advance,  or 

growth. 
Pro.vimity,  „    nearness. 

Quite,  prefixed  to  good,  largo,  &c. 
Residence,         for  house. 
„   attack. 


Raid, 

Realized, 

Record, 

Reliable, 

Repudiate, 

Resident, 

Retire,  aa  an  active  verb. 


obtained, 
character,  or   re- 
putation, 
trustworthy, 
reject,  or  disown, 
inhabitant. 


Rev., 

Hole, 

Rouijhs. 

Rowdies. 

Seaboard, 

Secesh. 

Section, 

Sensation, 

Spending, 

Standpoint, 


for  tho  Iluv. 
„   tho  part. 


sea-coast. 


„  district,  or  region. 
„  noteworthy  event. 
,,  passing. 
„  point  of  view. 


3.;  :iii 


M 


r;S 


rOLUMniA    AND    rANADA. 


Stcirt,  for  l)opir\,   or  oHtub- 

liHh. 
State,  „    S!iy. 

StiquHiij,  „    St  ay  in;,',     or    Ko- 

jiiui'tiinjj. 
„   iiftcruiii'd. 


„    act.,  or  do. 

,,   tiiloutH,  or  ability. 


Suhscquentli/, 

Tahuo. 

Take  action, 

Talrnt, 

Talented. 

Tariff,  for  rnton  of  faro,  or  Kcliodulo 

of  nitt's. 
Tehyrania,  ,,   dt'spatcliOH. 

The  ileceaseil. 
The  Unilnd  States,  as  a  eingular  uouii. 


Those  wanting,  for  thono  who  want. 

Those  who,  ,,  tlioHcjK'raonswbo. 

Tranf^pire,  ,,   occur. 

Ti-ij  aa  experiment,  for  niuko  an  cx- 
poriiiient, 

r/Zi,  for  by  tlin  wny  of. 

I'idnltii,  „    Ti()ij,'lil)ourli(i(>d. 

Wall  Street  slanj  generallij  :  "  bulln, 
bonrs,  loiipr,  short,  flat,  cor- 
ner, li^'hl,  iiioriijiind,  comu- 
toKf,  &c. 

We  arc  viislakeii  in,  for  wo  mistaki'. 

Whitrvcs,  for  wharf.-f. 

Wliicl,  Willi  a  noun,  aa  "which  man." 

W'unld  Sion,  for  KC(>ni8. 


I  turn  from  tho  grave  topic  of  newspaper 
writing  and  editing  to  the  more  popular  one  of  anuise- 
inents.  If  the  reader  had  been  present  at  one  of  Gil- 
more's  concerts,  he  or  she  would  have  enjoyed  a  great 
treat.  When  I  was  formerly  in  New  York  I  went 
to  one  of  Tliomas's  excellent  concerts  lield  close  to 
the  Central  Park.  The  situation  of  the  building  in 
which  they  were  held  is  out  of  the  way;  the  hall 
in  which  Gilmore's  concerts  took  place  is  very  ac- 
cessible, being  close  to  Madison  Stpiare,  in  the  heart 
of  the  city.  Here  it  was  that  M.  OHenbach  gave 
tlie  entertainments  of  which  he  chronicles  the 
success,  and  wliich  are  understood  to  have  afforded 
great  pleasure  to  every  one  except  tho  gentleman 
who  was  responsible  for  the  necessary  payments. 
This  concert-room  was  formerly  the  terminus  of  the 
Harlem  Railway.  It  luid  the  look  of  Cremorne 
Gardens  or  the  Jardin  Mabillo  under  a  glass  roof. 
Hows  of  coloured  lights  illumined  the  interior ; 
foimtains  of  water  delighted  the  eye  and  cooled  the 
air,  while  shrubs  of  all  climes  and  kinds  diversified 
the  ground.     i*rovision  was  nuide  for  visitors  who 


Tin:  KMnnH  city. 


59 


desired  to  cut  or  drink.  Half  a  dollar  was  clmrfrcd 
lor  adinissioii,  tlie  coin])ariy  being  as  select  as  tho 
most  fastidious  could  dosiru.  A  prograinino  of  tbo 
porlbrninnce,  handed  to  each  person  on  entering", 
iiifoi-med  him  or  her  not  only  what  pieces  wore  to  bo 
played,  but  also  contained  advertisements  telling 
how  to  make  money  without  trouble.  I  learned 
IVoni  them  that  the  cost  of  a  fortune  in  the  Kentucky 
Lottery  is  only  twelve  dollars ;  on  payment  of  this 
sum  I  sh  ill  receive  $100,000  provided  I  draw  the 
first  prize.  Should  I  consider  tho  promises  of 
Spain  more  seductive  and  trustworthy  than  those  of 
the  State  of  Kentucky,  I  have  but  to  pay  twenty 
dollars  in  order  to  receive  tho  same  sum,  provided  I 
were  to  win  the  first  prize  in  the  lottery  at  llavanna. 
If  the  readoi-'s  faith  in  lotteries  be  cold  and  un- 
sympathei^"*^.  he  will  find  other  things  to  entertain 
hhu  in  this  sheet.  An  account  is  given  of  Mr.  Gil- 
more,  who  originated  these  concerts.  With  tho 
modesty  of  genius,  Mr.  Gilmore  frankly  avows  that 
nothing  can  equal  the  enthusiasm  which  he  feels  for 
his  art,  tliat  he  became  a  musician  at  the  early  ago 
of  eight,  and  that  he  "not  only  handles  with  skill, 
many  of  the  instruments  in  his  organization,  but  is 
also  a  master  on  the  cornet."  Be  it  noted  that  in 
quoting  the  last  sentence,  I  confess  my  inability  to 
understand  it.  Mr.  Gilmore  recently  told  Mr.  II.  M. 
Davcy,  "  the  brilliant  and  accomplished  editor  of  tho 
Spirit  of  the  Timcs,^'  that  his  "  heart  is  over  and 
entirely  in  his  Avork ;  in  his  mission,  as  he  likes  to 
look  upon  it,  and  that  he  is  determined  to  do  his 
duty  to  his  ideal  and  his  country."  In  fulfillino- 
this  task,  neither  his  ideal  nor  his  country  has  been 
properly  grateful ;    an    intimation  to  this    effect  is 


Hi 


I     ! 


UK mi 

V      ill 


i''l    !1 


60 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


given  in  a  becoming  unci  resigned  spirit :  "  Lot 
the  Avoild  say  what  it  may  abr  nt  me,  my  pockets 
ai'o  Hght,  but  my  heart  is  full  of  gratitude  to 
I'rovidence  and  to  the  people  for  the  assistance 
L  have  received,  and  am  constantly  receiving  in 
forwardnig  the  object  of  my  life — the  propagation 
of  good  music  in  xVmcrica."  Certainly  the  concert 
which  I  attended  was  exe  dlcnt  in  every  respect, 
the  select  "ons  being  well  chosen,  and  the  execution 
beino;  finished  and  effective.  The  sino'inj?  of  the 
"  Young  Apollo  dub"  deserA'^edly  arcLised  the  en- 
tluisiasm  of  the  audience ;  the  youths  who  composed 
it  had  been  carefully  trained,  and  they  rendered  the 
several  pieces  with  taste  and  accuracy.  On  the  whole, 
]\Ir.  Cilraore's  concerts  ave  worthy  of  high  praise. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting  the  exhibition  of 
paintings  by  native  artists  at  the  National  Academy 
of  Design  and,  at  a  later  day,  of  seeing  the  Loan 
Collection  of  pahitings  shown  in  the  same  building. 
Both  exhiljitions  were  fraught  with  instruction,  the 
lessua  taught  by  the  former  being  the  less  flattering 
of  the  two.  Many  of  the  paintings  were  wortliy 
of  praise;  they  displayed  technical  skill,  much 
mental  resource  and  elaborated  cleverness.  J3ut 
the  best  liad  no  national  impress;  all  tJie  artists 
appeared  to  have  studied,  or  to  have  imitated  the 
processes  and  peculiarities  prevailing  at  Diissoldorf 
or  Munich,  Rome  or  Paris.  From  the  highest  point 
of  view  this  is  not  a  drawback,  but  a  distinct  merit ; 
it  is  as  meritorious  to  be  a  cosmopolitan  artist  as  a 
cosmopolitan  author.  Yet,  it  is  considered  a  demerit 
in  a  United  States'  citizen  to  show  that  no  ]'<>nt-up 
Utica  contracts  his  powers,  and  that  he  is  a  citizen 
of  tlie  world,      Ifence,  to  pronounce  the  productions 


I 


^'»S!^ 


THE    KMPIRK    CITY. 


61 


of  United  Stal-es  artists  deficient  in  national  pecu- 
liarities is  to  pass  what  tlieir  countrymen  regard  as  a 
fatal  censure.  Not  by  way  of  blame,  but  rather  as  a 
subject  of  congratulation,  must  I  express  the  opinion 
iliat  artists  of  the  Republic  have  shown  liow  they  can 
adapt  their  powers  to  circumstances,  and  produce 
good  pictures  which  are  free  from  the  stamp  and 
mannerism  of  a  single  form  of  training,  and  the 
traditions  of  a  single  school. 

The  Loan  Collection  was  formed  out  of  the 
choicest  works  in  tho  possession  of  private  persons 
ill  New  York.  The  works  of  221  artists  were  ex- 
hibited. Of  these,  110  were  Frenchmen,  41  were 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  31  ,^ere  G6}rmans,  17 
were  Romans,  12  were  Belgians,  5  were  Englishmen, 
2  were  Austrians.  2  were  Scotsmen,  and  1  was  a  Rus- 
sian. These  figures  prove  that  jModern  French  art 
is  most  to  the  taste  of  New  Yo/k  connoisseurs. 
The  exhibition,  which  was  a  very  good  one,  ^vould 
doubtless  servo  to  educate  the  public  taste. 

The  question  of  getting  rapidly  and  cheaply  from 
one  part  of  this  city  to  another  has  long  beeii  the 
subject  of  desire  and  suggestion.  The  omnibuses 
and  street  cars  do  not  suffice  for  the  conveyance  of 
impatient  passengers.  It  has  been  proposed  to  con- 
struct an  Underground  Railway,  as  in  London,  but 
^he  opposition  to  this  scheme  lias  proved  insur- 
mountaWo.  Other  schemes  have  been  advocated 
in  the  newspapers.  What  is  styled  an  Elevated 
Railway  seems  to  enjoy  the  greatest  amount  of 
support  and  approval.  The  rails  are  affixed  to 
brackets  extending  laterally,  at  the  height  of  about 
ten  feet  above  the  ground,  from  the  sides  of  pillars 
placed,  at    short  distances  apart,  along   the    outer 


iJ 


n    ... 


'       I      I 


iMi  i 


1. 


Ml' 


]■ 


02 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


edge  of  the  foot  pavement.  The  engines  and 
carriages  overhang  the  rails,  so  that  running  off 
them  is  impossible.  Excepting  tlio  noise  made  by  a 
passing  train,  the  plan  has  no  obvious  drawback. 
Yet  such  railwaj^s  have  many  opponents,  and  it  may 
bo  some  time  before  they  are  generally  introduced. 

The  more  conspicuous  changes  in  New  York  since 
my  last  visit  are  that  Mr.   Tweed  has  been  deposed 
and  imprisoned,  and  Mr.  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  shot;  that 
other  notorious  citizens  have  carried  their  ill-gotten 
wealth  to  Plurope,  where  they  can  live  in  splendour 
and  display  what  they  consider  patriotism  by  scorning 
the  effete  and  antiquated  institutions  of  the  country 
in  which  they  have  found  an  asylum  ;  that  the  city 
debt  has  been  trebled  while  the  city  remains  a  speci- 
men of  mal-administration  ;    that  two  new  religions 
have  been  provided  for  the  citizens  whose  piety  had 
waxed  cold,  or  who  craved  for  novelty  on  Sundays  ; 
that  a  handsome  and  commodious  post  office,  many 
beautiful  churches,  a  central  raihvay  station,  several 
new  hotels,  a  public  library  and  a  uew^spaper  office, 
both  of  wdiich  may  be  styled  monumental,  have  been 
built ;  that  wild  beasts  have  been  coP  "^cted  for  ex- 
hibition in  the  Central  Park ;  that  an  aquarium  has 
been  erected  in  Broadway,  and  that  a  railway  carries 
passengers   above   the    streets,   instead   of,    as    in 
London,  underneath  them. 


(33 


1     : 


I 


IV. 


TEE    CITY    OF   BIJOTIIEKLY    LOVE. 

If  a  stranger  wished  to  increase  the  number  of  per- 
sons wlio  considered  him  alike  presumptuous  and 
incompetent,  be  would  undertake  to  assign  the 
foremost  place  to  a  particular  city  of  the  United 
States.  Rigid  impartiality,  or  unanswerable  reasons 
would  avail  him  nothing  against  the  accusation  of 
prejudice  and  folly,  nor  would  they  shield  him  from 
the  perfect  hatred  of  the  citizens  of  every  other  city 
tlian  the  one  named,  while  the  citizens  of  the  chosen 
city  would  exhibit  no  special  gratitude,  for  they 
would  contend  that  their  dwelling-place  had  only 
received  its  just  due.  I  was  not  surprised,  then,  to 
find  that  the  pre-eminence  accorded  to  Philadelphia 
in  the  year  of  national  jubilee  had  not  been  meekly 
acquiesced  in  throughout  the  Union.  I  read  in 
many  newspapers  that  other  places  considered  their 
historic  titles  to  be  equal  to  those  of  Pliiladelphia, 
and,  if  this  were  disputed,  that  their  arrangements 
for  accommodating  and  entertaining  visitors,  wore 
much  more  complete  and  extensive  than  those  of  the 
city  of  Brotherly  Love;  I  also  read  articles  in  Phila- 
delphian  newspapers  deprecating  the  comments  in 
tlieir  contemporaries,  more  particularly  those  of 
jN^cw  York,  and  rebutting  tlie  unfair  charge  that  the 


Ml  , 

I' 


:  1 1 1 


G4 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


h     iJ 


visitors  to  Philadelphia  wouhl  bo  the  proy  of  extor- 
tionate hotel-keepers,  whilst  fig'uring  as  [)i]gnins  at 
the  shi'iiio  of  Independence.  Possibly  some  cities  in 
tlie  land  of  Islam  envy  the  fame  of  Mecca,  and  think 
that  they  could  most  appropriately  guard  so  precious 
a  relic  as  the  Caaba;  and  it  may  l)o  that  some 
Indian  cities  arc  convinced  of  their  chiims  to  be  pro- 
nounced as  holy  and  attractive  to  devotees  as 
Benares.  It  is  certain,  however,  than  any  visitor  to 
tlie  United  States  who  desires  to  kec])  on  good 
terms  with  his  friends  and  acquaintances  in  New 
York,  Boston,  and  every  other  phace  of  note  or 
notoriety,  ought  to  be  measured  in  liis  eulogies  of 
P]iiladel])hia.  If  anxious  to  make  friends,  or  to 
retain  friendship  with  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  ho 
should  not  hesitate  ab^ut  praising  their  city.  An 
American  loyalist,  writing  in  177G,  says  that  "in 
one  point,  not  contented  with  being  not  agreeable, 
tlie  Philadelphians  are  almost  disagre(>able ;  tlie 
almost  universal  topic  of  conversation  among  theni 
is  the  superiority  of  Philadelphia  over  every  other 
spot  of  the  globe."  ^ 

A  visit  to  the  United  States  is  not  indispensable 
for  discovering  manifestations  of  the  like  spirit  of 
munici]ial  pride  and  jealousy.  If  the  praises  of 
Edinburgh  were  loudly  sounded  in  Glasg(nv,  or  tlio 
pretensions  of  Glasgow  vigorously  urged  in  Edin- 
burgh ;  if  Belfast  were  lauded  in  Dublin,  or  Dublin 
held  up  in  Belftist  as  a  model ;  if  Liverpool,  IMan- 
chester,  Leeds,  Sheffield,  and  Birmingham  should 
be  told  that  they  were  but  rush-lights  in  comparison 
with  London,  or  if  a  Londoner  should  be  informed 
that  other  cities  in  the  United  Kingdom  were  more 

'  Notes  and  Queries,  otli  sorios,  vol  0,  ]>.  SI. 


k 


THE    CITV    OF    15nOTIlKi;i,Y    LOVE. 


G5 


attractive  and  praiseworthy,  in  some  respects,  than 
the  cj^clopean  and  fnhginous  capital  of  Enghind  ;  in 
cacli  of  these  cases  the  opinions  expressed  would 
prove  unpalatable,  and  no  thanks  would  be  returned 
to  those  who  uttered  them.  In  Franco  alone  a  strik- 
ing exception  can  be  found  to  a  rule  applying  to  the 
rest  of  the  world.  The  claims  of  Paris  to  national 
pre-eminence  are  acknowledged  by  all  the  other 
cities  in  the  land.  Many  inhabitants  of  these  cities 
even  seem  to  think  that  they  owe  an  apology  for 
having  been  born  and  for  living  in  them  ;  they  look 
upon  Paris  as  an  earthly  paradise  ;  the  French  pea- 
santry, on  the  contrary,  regard  the  capital  as  a  sort 
of  witch's  cauldron  wherein  revolutions  arc  brewed. 
Whether  Philadelphia  bo  or  be  not  as  greatly  in 
advance  of  every  rival  as  its  citizens  imagine,  it 
certainly  stands  very  high  among  the  famous  cities 
of  the  United  States,  having  had  a  most  interesting 
past,  and  been  the  theatre  of  some  of  the  great<3st 
events  in  the  history  of  the  country.  Not  so  truly 
cosmopolitan  as  New  York,  it  is  much  more  compo- 
site than  Boston.  Long  before  William  Penn  formed 
an  English  settlement  in  Pennsylvania,  the  |  eoplo 
of  three  nationalities — Finns,  Swedes,  and  Jlolhuidei's 
— had  made  their  homes  there.  For  man}  years 
(vach  nationality  preserved  its  id(>ntity  ;  the  Irniguage 
of  each  was  taught  in  the  schools  ;  books  and  news- 
])apers  were  provided  for  each  race  in  th.'  mother 
tongue.  Relifnons  creeds  exceeded  in  number  the 
languages  spoken,  and  were  quite  as  diverse.  In  the 
"  Account  of  the  European  Settlements  in  America," 
published  in  17G1,  and  attributed  to  Burke,  it  is 
said : — "  Here  you  see  Quakers,  Churchmen,  Cal- 
vinists,  Methodists,   Menists,    ^I'oravians,   Indepen- 

P 


!'    II 


I       i1 


■A 


I^f    If  A)    n« 


06 


COLUMniA    AND    CANADA. 


dents,  Anabaptists,  and  Diimplcrs,  a  sort  of  German 
sect  that  live  in  something  like  a  religious  society, 
wear  long  beardsj  and  habit  resembling  that  of  friars. 
In  sliort,  the  diversity  of  people,  religions,  nations, 
and  hinguagcs  here  is  prodigious."  Till  the  year 
1854,  the  city  itself  covered  but  a  small  area,  being 
encompassed  witli  districts,  boroughs,  and  town- 
ships, numbering  as  many  as  twenty-eight  municipal 
corporations.  Now,  the  whole  is  under  one  govern- 
ment ;  the  population  numbers  700,000. 

Pliiladelpliia  covers  nearly  130  square  miles,  is 
twenty-two  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and 
fi'ora  five  to  eight  miles  in  breadth;  there  are  up- 
wards of  350  miles  of  paved  streets  within  this  area. 
Streets  bearing  the  names  of  trees,  such  as  eherry, 
chestmit,  walnut,  spruce,  and  others  run  east  and 
west,  being  crossed  at  riglit  angles  by  streets  bear- 
ing numbers.  Nothing  is  easier,  then,  than  to  find 
a  given  street ;  but  the  regularity  has  the  drawback 
of  monotony.  Brick  has  been  largely  used  both  in 
building  the  houses  and  forming  the  foot-pavement ; 
the  white  marble  houses  which  adorn  several  of  the 
streets  are  the  more  conspicuous  and  pleasing  to  the 
eye  on  account  of  the  contrast  they  present  to  the 
red  hue  of  the  adjacent  dwellings.  Trees  are  much 
less  common  than  in  the  avenues  and  streets  of  New 
York ;  the  absence  of  green  foliage  is  a  decided 
defect.  The  main  thoroughfares  are  clean  and  well 
kept;  but  the  presence  of  the  scavenger  and  the 
drain-maker  is  sadly  wanted  in  the  smaller  streets. 
T^liere  are  several  squares  in  whicli  the  green  turf  and 
the  branching  trees  produce  a  delicious  impression 
upon  those  persons  who  have  been  wearied  by  pacing 
along  the  burning  pavement  on  a  hot  summer's  day. 


THE    CITY    OF    BROTHERLY    LOVE. 


67 


In  Wasliington  Square,  wliich  the  fastidious  Mrs. 
Trollope  called  "  the  nearest  approach  to  a  London 
Square  that  is  to  be  found  in  Philadel[)hia,"  -  are  to 
be  seen  specimens  of  all  the  trees  which  AYill  grmv  in 
this  climate.  Seats,  provided  in  the  pathways,  at 
intervals  of  three  or  four  yards,  are  of  the  form  of  a 
flat  cheese  supported  by  a  rod,  being  large  enough 
to  accommodate  one  person  only.  Tlie  advantage 
of  seating  people  in  this  isolated  f,nd  uncomfortable 
way  is  not  obvious.  In  order  to  increase  the  dis- 
comfort of  the  occupants  of  the  solitary  seats, 
smoking  is  forbidden  in  this  square  under  a  penalty 
of  five  dollars. 

Though  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  are  filled  with 
fine  dwellings,  spacious  and  handsome  shops,  and 
contain  many  modern  public  buildings  of  an  impos- 
ing appearance,  yet  the  relics  of  the  past,  in  wliich 
the  city  is  very  rich,  possess  the  chief  attraction  for 
an  intelligent  sight-seer.  Even  the  laws  by  which 
the  State  is  governed  are  notable  for  an  antiquity 
almost  exceptional  throughout  this  continent.  Laws 
made  in  1704  are  still  in  force.  This  proves  the  colo- 
nial legislators  under  the  Monarchy  to  have  been  quite 
as  capable  as  their  successors  under  the  Republic, 
and  may  be  said  to  give  fresh  point  to  the  well- 
known  couplet  in  which  Pope  puts  good  administra- 
tion as  the  criterion  of  the  best  form  of  government. 
I  am  indebted  to  an  admirable  address,  which  was 
delivered  in  1872  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Wallace,  president  of 
the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  for  some 
striking  notices  of  certain  things  in  which  the  Phi^a- 
delphians  take  a  just  pride. 


■  1:  '■ : 

I,      : 


'  "  Domestic  Manners  of  the  Americans,"  vol.  ii.  p.  81. 

¥    2 


iTi" 


68 


rOLUMRIA    AND    CANADA. 


Tliis  Historical  Society  is  an  important  institution. 
Its  members  number  600;  it  has  a  library  of  12,000 
volumes,  a  collection  of  80,000  pam])lilots,  a  small 
gallery  of  portraits  and  historical  pictures,  and 
numerous  manuscripts  of  great  value.  Chief  among 
the  latter  are  the  letters  of  William  Penn  and  his 
descendants,  which  were  recently  acquired  for  a 
C(nnparatively  small  sum,  less  than  a  thousand 
])0unds,  from  their  English  owners,  and  which  the 
members  of  this  Society  are  about  to  include  in 
their  series  of  publications.  From  the  examination 
which  I  was  permitted  to  make  of  the  contents  of 
the  manuscript  volumes,  I  satisfied  myself  that 
they  abounded  in  curious  details  of  the  olden  time. 
A  manuscript  volume  of  the  unpublished  letters  of 
Jolin  Adams,  the  second  President  of  the  United 
States,  is  equally  noteworthy.  These  letters,  which 
were  addressed  to  a  Dutch  correspondent,  Van  der 
Kemp,  contain  many  revelations  of  Adams'  true  feel- 
ings, and  throw  a  new  light  upon  his  character. 
Writiug  six  years  after  the  death  of  AVashington, 
he  tells  his  Dutch  friend  that  Washington  and 
Franklin  had  been  greatly  overrated,  that  they  did 
not  merit  the  title  of  Fathers  of  tin  ; '  country,  and 
he  makes  it  plain  that  he  considered  himself  more 
distinguished  than  either.  Other  curiosities  than 
old  manuscripts  have  a  place  in  this  collection. 
There  is,  for  instance,  the  dress  sword  worn  by 
Franklin  and  the  sword  presented  by  Lewis  the 
Sixteenth  to  the  Scotsman,  Paul  Jones,  whom  his 
countrymen  regard  as  a  pirate  and  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States  as  a  hero.  But  none  of  these 
things  possesses  the  interest  attaching  to  a  piece  of 
wampum,  on  which   is   rudely  depicted  a  stalwart 


by 

the 
liis 

of 
lese 

of 
rart 


THE    CITY   Oh'    nUOTIIEllLY    LOVE. 


69 


man,  with  a  broad-brimmed  bat,  standing  bosido  a 
smaller  man  with  uncovered  head,  being  the  original 
})iece  of  wampum  given  to  Penn  by  the  Indians 
when  he  conchided  his  treaty  with  them,  a  treaty 
which  they  never  violated  and  the  Quakers  never 
disresfarded.  I  al«o  saw  Penn's  instructions,  in  his 
own  handwriting,  as  to  the  manner  in  which  inter- 
course with  the  Indians  was  to  be  conducted.  It 
was  characteristic  of  the  writer,  and  a  proof  of  his 
observation,  that  he  warned  those  persons  who  dealt 
with  the  Indians  to  demean  themselves  gravely,  and 
to  refrain  from  laughing,  because  this  was  a  thing 
which  they  did  not  relish. 

Turning  to  the  address  by  Mr.  Wallace,  mentioned 
above,  I  find  a  passage  quoted  from  the  work  at- 
tributed to  Burke  on  the  "  European  Settlements  in 
America,"  in  which  the  commerce  of  Philadelfjliia 
in  1761  is  thus  described: — "There  are  in  this 
city  a  great  number  of  very  wealthy  merchants, 
which  is  noways  surprising  when  one  considers  the 
great  trade  which  it  carries  on  with  the  English, 
French,  Spanish,  and  Dutch  colonies  in  America; 
with  the  Azores,  the  Canaries,  and  the  Madeira 
Islands;  with  Great  Britain  and  Ireland;  with 
Spain,  Portugal,  and  Holland,  and  the  great  profits 
Avhich  are  made  in  many  branches  of  this  com- 
merce." Mr.  Wallace  congratulates  his  hearers  on 
the  circumstances  that  "  from  this  region  the  light 
of  letters  first  shone  forth  to  all  the  Middle  Colonies 
in  the  establishment  of  the  printing-press ;  that 
from  Philadelphia  first,  o'^  this  wide  continent,  came 
the  proposition  to  print  in  English  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  to  accompany  them  by  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon   Prayer ;    that    here   the    rights    of  the    Press 


! 

■- 

i 

1 
'    i 

\ 

u 

70 


COLUMBIA    ANI)    CANADA. 


against  an  arbitrary  Govoriimont,  and  the  right  of 
a  jury  to  judge  both  law  and  fact  in  cases  of  libel, 
were  first  successfully  asserted."  Provision  for 
education  in  the  higher  branches  of  learning  was 
among  the  earliest  cares  of  the  founders  of 
Pennsylvania.  As  far  back  as  the  year  1688,  appli- 
cation was  made  for  a  charter,  with  the  view  to  set 
up  a  "  bank  for  money."  Christ  Church,  one  of  tho 
most  beautiful  ecclesiastical  edifices  in  the  city, 
i"),A,  dates  from  1744;  in  concert  witli  St.  Peter's,  it  has 
maintained  Christ  Church  Hospital,  since  1722,  as 
an  asylum  for  destitute  women.  Tho  library,  origi- 
nated by  Franklin  in  1731,  and  chartered  in  1742, 
is  still  one  of  the  most  useful  instituti(  i  in  tlie 
city;  it  contains  100,000  volumes,  and  though  de- 
signed for  the  special  use  of  subscribers,  contains 
the  excellent  by-law  amongst  its  original  rules  that 
"  any  civil  gentleman  "  may  be  allowed  to  read  and 
study  there.  This  library  is  rich  in  works  which 
are  now  veiy  rare.  I  owe  hearty  thanks  to  Mr.  Lloyd 
Smith,  its  learned  librarian,  whose  features  bear  a 
resemblance,  of  which  he  may  well  be  proud,  to  those 
of  the  best  authenticated  likeness  of  Shakespeare, 
for  great  courtesy  and  much  useful  information.  Mr. 
AVallace,  in  enumerating  the  glories  of  his  city, 
includes  among  these  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
a  splendid  edifice  in  point  of  architecture,  which  was 
founded  as  an  academy  in  1749,  chartered  as  a 
college  in  1755,  and  created  a  university  in  1779. 
He  is  able  to  note  with  particular  satisfaction  that 
"  The  Philadelphia  Contributionship  for  Insurance 
of  Houses  from  Loss  by  Fire,"  which  dates  from  the 
year  1752,  was  the  first  fire  insurance  established  on 
this  Continent,  that  it  has  never  disputed  a  claim. 


III 


TFIK    CITY    OF    IIIJOTIIMIJLY    I,(tVK. 


71 


and  has  remained  solvent  during  vicissitudes  wliioh 
proved  tlie  ruin  of  many  other  insurance  companies. 
Moreover,  "  The  Corporation  for  the  relief  of  poor 
and  distressed  Presbytei-ian  Ministers,  and  of  the 
poor  and  distressed  widows  and  children  of  Presby- 
terian Ministers,"  was  the  first  life  assurance  on  the 
Continent,  being  chartered  in  l^-^O,  and  still  en- 
joying a  vigorous  existence  which,  according  to 
Mr.  Wallace,  it  owes  in  connnon  with  the  fire  in- 
surance just  named,  to  "  the  idea  of  the  Colonial 
times,  that  such  institutions  should  rest  on  the 
'  nmtual '  principle." 

The  "American  Philosophical  Society,"  chartered 
by  the  Penns  in  1709,  made  the  name  of  Phila- 
delphia known  throughout  Europe  at  a  time  when 
the  very  names  of  other  cities  in  America  were 
known  to  a  few  only.  In  the  same  year,  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  Province  made  a  grant  of  £200  to 
observe  the  transit  of  Venus,  thus  proving  that  it 
was  fiir  in  advance  of  similar  bodies  in  that  day, 
and  possibly  in  our  own. 

Not  less  notable  than  any  of  these  institutions  is 
the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  a  building  so  vast  and 
well-arranged  that  for  nearly  a  century  after  its 
foundation  no  other  one  was  required  in  the  city. 
When  Mr.  Weld  visited  Philadelphia  in  1795,  he  was 
struck  with  this  hospital,  which,  he  says,  "  for  its 
airiness,  for  its  convenient  accommodation  for  the 
sick  and  infirm,  and  for  the  neatness  exhibited 
throughout  every  part  of  it,  cannot  be  surpassed  by 
any  institution  of  the  kind  in  the  world  ....  From 
the  year  1756,  in  which  it  was  built,  to  the  year  1793 
inclusive,  nearly  9000  patients  were  admitted  into 
this  hospital,  upwards  of  GOOO  of  whom  were  re- 


t 

! 

1 

t 

i- 
i  ■ 

J, 

1 

'1 

* 

1 

i 

■ 

Ml 


''  ■ ! 

•  If'' 

72 


COLUMDIA    AND    CANADA. 


licvod  or  cured."'  The  date  and  design  are  thus 
recorded  on  its  corner-stone : — '*  In  the  year  of 
Christ,  1755,  George  the  Second  happily  reigning 
(for  he  sought  the  liappincss  of  his  people),  Phila- 
delphia flourishing  (for  its  inhabitants  were  public- 
spirited),  this  building,  by  the  bounty  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  of  many  private  persons,  was  piously 
founded  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  and  miserable. 
May  the  God  of  Mercies  bless  the  undertaking." 
Indeed,  Mr.  Wallace  can  find  little  that  is  "  humane, 
good,  great,  or  illustrious  in  Provincial  times  "  with 
which  the  name  of  his  city  or  State  is  not  con- 
nected. In  Pennsylvania  was  erected  the  first 
paper-mill  in  the  province ;  in  Piiiladelphia  the 
first  monthly  magazine  was  printed  ;  there  West 
displayed  his  first  picture  in  1 74-5 ;  there  Bartram 
established  the  Botanical  Gardens  which  procured 
for  him  the  title  of  American  Botanist  to  George 
the  Third ;  there  lessons  in  anatomy  were  first  given 
in  America ;  there  were  founded  some  of  the  best 
medical  schools  in  the  country ;  there,  it  must  bo 
added,  have  flourished  some  of  the  greatest  quack 
doctors,  and  there  did  George  Keith,  in  1G93,  issue 
his  remonstrance  against  slaveliolding,  while  other 
enemies  of  slavery  continued  the  protest  after  him, 
and  laboured  for  the  education  as  well  as  the 
emancipation  of  the  blacks.  In  short,  the  story  of 
Philadelphia  and  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania 
during  the  old  Colonial  times  is  a  highly  gratify- 
ing one ;  it  cannot  be  read  in  the  most  cursory 
form  now  Avithout  leaving  an  impression  that  the 
days    duriijg    which    Pennsylvania   was    subject   to 

'  Isaac  Weld's  "Travels  in  North  America,"  vol.  i.  pp.  11,  12. 


'i> 


THE    CITY    OF   BUOTIIKULY    LOVK. 


73 


inonarcliical   rule  wuro   not   days  to  bo  altogether 


regretted. 


TiJO  Protective  system  to  wliich  Great  Britain 
was  in  bondage  a  century  ago,  retarding  her 
development  for  many  centuries,  and  the  main  cause 
in  bringing  about  the  separation  of  the  Colonies  from 
tlie  Mother  country,  a  system  of  which  Benjamin 
Franklin,  ahnost  contemporaneously  with  Adam 
Smith,  showed  the  folly  and  mischief  with  incom- 
parable effect,  now  finds  its  warmest  supporters  and 
loudest  eulogists  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  A 
line  of  steamers,  which  is  tlie  only  line  crossing  the 
Atlantic  under  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  runs 
ItetAveen  Philadelphia  and  Liverpool.  Mr.  Lindsay, 
in  his  "  History  of  Merchant  Shipping,"  states  tliat 
tliese  steamers  cost  £20,000  each  in  excess  of  wliat 
they  would  have  cost  had  they  been  built  on  the 
Clyde  instead  of  on  the  Delaware.  Such  is  the  price 
which,  in  one  case  only,  the  Philadelphians  cheer- 
fully pay  for  a  policy  of  protection  to  native  indus- 
try. Pennsylvania  cherishes  the  Protection  system 
as  her  chief  blessing ;  Navigation  Laws,  modelled 
upon  those  which  England  passed  during  a  paroxysm 
of  folly — laws  prohibiting  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  from  purchasing  a  vessel  in  the  cheapest 
market  and  sailing  it  under  his  country's  flag,  aro 
considered  by  Pennsylvania  as  the  inestimable  gifts 
of  a  beneficent  Congress.  The  trammels  with  which 
Protection  environed  trade  and  the  obstacles  to  the 
spread  of  commerce  which  were  artificially  created 
by  the  Navigation  Acts  in  the  United  Kingdom  have 
been  happily  swept  away  by  an  enlightened  Parlia- 
ment; British  manufacturers  and  merchants  are 
now   free   to    compete   with   the   world,  while   the 


WTT 


WHoawamm 


74 


COLUMRIA    AND    CANAPA. 


w 


I  ;• 


I. 


people  at  large  reap  the  benefit  of  an  emancipation 
from  a  pernicious  system  of  international  jealousy 
and  selftslmoss.  Unfortunately,  the  awakennig  came 
too  late  to  produce  all  tlu;  good  wliicli  might  have 
accrued  from  the  reversal  of  a  policy  which  was 
founded  upon  delusions  originating  in  the  Middle 
j^gii,  and  upon  corresponding  delusions  which  the 
Parliaments  of  Cromwell  and  Chai-les  the  Second 
regarded  as  the  quintessence  of  wisdom.  Not  only 
was  this  policy  fraught  with  domestic  loss  and  mis- 
chief, but  the  operation  of  the  Protective  system  and 
the  entbrcemert  of  the  Navigation  Acts  necessarily 
led  tlie  American  colonists  to  consider  themselves 
grossly  aggrieved  9 ad  intolerably  oppressed;  and  it 
is  to  tlie  fatal  predominance  of  the  fallacious  idea 
that  trade  can  ever  be  beneficially  protected  or  com- 
inerce  usefully  fostered  by  mere  legislative  enact- 
ments, rather  than  to  the  personal  blunders  and 
arbitrary  notions  of  George  the  Third,  that  the 
disruption  of  the  Britisli  Empire  is  attributable, 
when  the  'thirteen  Colonies  were  transformed  into 
ilie  independent  United  S  '.ifes. 

Independence  Hall,  whunce  issued  the  famous 
DeclarcHi.'vi,  is  prized  by  the  Philadelphians  al)ove 
all  their  other  glories.  In  (Jarpeuter's  IJall,  not 
v^ry  ii;r  distant,  the  Congresi^j  of  the  United  Colonies 
first  met  and  deliberated  ;  but  it  was  here  that  the 
Congress  sat  whi^'h  ci'oated,  as  well  as  re  ^;^ resented 
the  United  States  of  America.  The  high-backed 
Elizabethan  chair  in  which  John  llaneock  presided 
is  still  iri  its  place:  in  front  is  the  identical  table 
upon  which  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
laid,  and  wlu^re  the  President  signed  it  "  by  or(l(M' 
and  in   beluilf  of   (\)ngress."     Many   of  the   chairs 


i 


p 


THE    CITY    OF    BROTHERLY    I,OVE. 


occupied  ])y  the  members  are  ranged  in  a  semi-circle 
on  each  side.  On  the  walls  hang  the  portraits  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration ;  the  origmal  docu- 
ment was  brought  fr>")m  Washington,  in  1876,  and 
placed  in  a  fire-proof  safe  at  one  side  of  the  chambei'. 
1  suw  the  document.  The  ink  has  faded  so  mnch 
that  it  is  not  easy  to  read  the  writing  or  decipher 
the  signatures.  When  the  safe  was  shut,  it  ^>^as 
easy  enough  to  read  the  name  of  its  maker,  whicii, 
by  way  of  advertisement,  had  been  conspicuously 
painted  on  the  door.  Thus,  in  the  Centenary  of  the 
Independence  of  the  United  States,  the  name  of  a 
manufacturer  of  iron  safes  was  a  more  prominent 
object  in  Independence  Hall  than  the  original  signa- 
tures of  Hancock,  Franklin,  Jefferson,  and  their 
colleagues  ! 

I  have  before  me  a  fac-simUe  of  the  number  of 
Dimlap's  Pennsylvania  PacJcd  or  the  General  Adver- 
tiser, for  Monday,  8th  July,  1776,  the  newspaper  in 
which  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  first 
published.  Many  pc^rsons  who  most  heartily  admit 
that  the  American  colonists  had  many  grievances 
and  applaud  the  vigour  with  which  they  asserted 
their  rights  and  combated  for  them,  vrhen  the 
atrocious  blunder  had  been  committed  of  meeting 
their  temperate  remonstrances  with  the  sword  in- 
stead of  with  timely  and  reasonable  coTicessions, 
cannot  peruse  their  memorable  Declaration  without 
taking  exception  to  much  which  is  contained  therein. 
It  is  not  so  obvious  to  tlie  impartial  and  critical 
r(>ader  as  it  is  to  the  ordinaiy  citizen  of  the  United 
States,  who  has  been  trained  from  cliildhood  to 
remird  the  document  as  an  immortal  record  of  irre- 
t'ragable    truths,  th;it  "  the  history  of  the   present 


ji 


^^^ 


70 


COLUMIIIA    AND   CANADA. 


King  of  Great  BriLain  is  a  history  of  repeated  irjnries 
and  usurpations,  all  liaving  in  direct  object  the 
cstablislinicnt  of  an  absolute  tyranny  over  these 
States."  Though  George  the  Third  entertained 
many  foolish  notions,  yet,  to  make  himself  an  abso- 
lute tyrant  anywhere  was  not  one  of  them.  Nor 
does  the  charge  of  arbitrary  treatment  of  Canada, 
cited  in  proof  of  this  allegation,  appear  other  than  a 
strange  one  to  be  repeated  on  yearly  anniversaries 
by  citizens  of  the  United  States,  wdien  the  actual 
course  of  Canadian  history  is  remembered,  and  the 
prosperity  and  happiness  of  Canada  arc  apparent. 
The  subject  is  a  tempting  one  for  a  critic.  The 
errors  of  omission  in  the  Declaration  are  quite  as 
obvious  and  flagrant  as  those  of  commission.  Its 
literary  style  is  as  open  to  comment  as  its  contents 
are  open  to  discussion.  The  rhetoric  with  which  it 
is  saturated  not  only  pleased  Jefferson's  contempo- 
raries, but  is  still  admired  by  some  citizens  of  the 
United  States.  Minute  criticism  is  the  last  thing 
which  such  a  document  is  likely  to  undergo  at  the 
hands  of  those  persons  who  have  been  taught  to 
venerate  it  as  the  paragon  of  human  utterance  ;  the 
stranger,  who  should  venture  to  treat  it  as  unin- 
spired and  fallible,  would  be  denounced  by  indignant 
citizens,  with  singular  unanimity,  as  a  malignant  foe 
of  their  Re})nblic,  and  even  more  culpable  than  a 
blasphemer  of  Holy  Writ. 

Other  interesting  things  in  this  old  newspaper 
enable  the  reader  to  understand,  better  than  any 
formal  history,  (he  state  of  feeling  at  the  period 
when  the  United  Colonies  declared  themselves  inde- 
j)endent.  A  notification,  printed  in  the  hirgest  type, 
shows    when    the    Declaration    was    olhcially    made 


,1' 

7 


THE    CITY    OF   BROTnERLY    LOVE. 


/  / 


public :—"  This  day  (8tli  July,  177G),  at  12  o'clock, 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  will  be  proclaimed  at 
the  State  House."  In  a  volume  published  after  the 
celebration  of  the  Centenary  of  the  Ilepu])lic,  there 
is  the  following  account  by  an  eye-witness  of  the  pro- 
ceedings on  the  day  the  Republic  was  established  : — 
"  Warm  sunshine,  morning.  At  eleven,  went  and  met 
the  Committee  of  Inspection  at  the  Philosophical  Hall; 
went  from  there  in  a  body  to  the  Lodge ;  joined  the 
Committee  of  Safety  (as  called) ;  went  in  a  body  to 
the  State  House  Yard,  where,  in  the  presence  of  a 
great  concourse  of  people,  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  read  by  John  Nixon.  The  compjiny 
declared  their  approbation  by  three  repeated  huzzas. 
The  King'^    '■rms  were  taken  down   in   the   Court 


Room,  State     louse,   at  the  same   time. 


Fine 


starlight,  pleasant  evening.  There  were  bonfires, 
I'inging  bells,  Avith  other  great  demonstrations  of  joy 
upon  the  unanimity  and  agreement  of  the  Declara- 
tion." *  On  the  day  that  Congress  assented  to  the 
document,  two  other  resolutions  were  passed;  the 
one  empowering  the  Board  of  War  to  employ  per- 
sons to  manufacture  gun-flints,  to  make  a])plication 
throughout  the  States  for  the  names  and  addresses  of 
those  persons  who  were  skilled  in  manufacturing  them, 
and  to  find  the  places  whore  the  best  flint  stones  were 
to  be  obtained ;  the  other  forming  the  delegates  of 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania,  into  a 
committee  to  confer  with  other  committees  as  to  the 
"best  means  of  defending  the  Colonies  of  New 
Jersey   and   Pennsylvania,"  and  empowering  them 


*  "  Extracts  from  tho  Diary  of  Cliristoplicr  Marslinll,  lu^pt  in 
I'liilaJdphia  aiul  Lancaster  (hirinir  llic  American  devolution," 
p.  S3. 


78 


COIiUMRIA    AND    CANADA. 


"  to  send  expresses  whore  necessary."  Among  tlio 
contents  is  the  copy  of  an  Act,  passed  three  months 
previously  by  the  Assembly  of  South  Carolina,  on- 
titled,  "  To  prevent  sedition  and  punish  insurgents 
and  disturbers  of  the  public  peace,"  the  opening 
sentence  of  which  will  suffice  to  show  alike  the  lan- 
guage used,  and  the  feelings  common  in  those  days : 
"  Whereas  a  horrid  and  nnnatural  war  is  now 
carried  on  by  the  Ministry  and  Parliament  of  Great 
Britain,  against  the  United  Colonies  of  North 
America  in  general,  and  this  colony  in  particnlar. 
with  a  cruel  and  oppressive  design  of  robbing  the 
colonies  and  good  people  of  this  colony  of  their 
dearest  and  most  valuable  rights  as  freemen,  and 
reducing  them  to  a  state  of  the  most  abject  slavery 
and  oppression."  This  strong  language  is  matched 
by  the  tenour  of  a  piece  of  news  from  New  York, 
dated  the  4tli  of  July  : — "  Last  Saturday  arrived  at 
the  Hook  (like  the  swarm  of  locusts  escaped  from 
the  bottomless  pit)  a  fleet  said  to  be  130  sail  of  ships 
and  vessels  from  Halifax,  having  on  board  General 
Howe,  &c.,  sent  out  by  the  tyrants  of  Great  Britain, 
after  destroying  the  English  constitution  there,  on 
the  pious  design  of  enslaving  the  British  Colonics 
and  plundering  their  property  at  pleasure,  or  mnr- 
<lering  them  at  once,  and  taking  possession  of  all,  as 
Ahab  did  of  Naboth's  vineyard." 

I  shall  extract  but  two  more  sentences  from  the 
news  with  which  the  readers  of  the  Philadel pliia 
Packet  were  gratified  in  17 70.  The  incident  here- 
after related  is  not  given  in  ecjual  detail  in  the 
histories  of  the  American  Revolution.  The  tidings 
are  sent  from  Wilhamsburg,  in  Virginia,  under  the 
dido   of   July  4lh.     *'  This  morning  (Japi^aiu  James 


1 


TOE   CITY    OF    RROTIIEI'tLY.  LOVE. 


70 


Barron  came  to  town  from  Jamestown,  witb  the 
agreeable  news  that  he  and  his  brother,  in  two  small 
armed  vessels,  wei-o  safe  arrived  there,  with  the 
Oxford  transport  from  Glasgow,  having  on  board 
217  Scotch  Highlanders,  with  a  nnmber  of  women 
and  chihh'en,  which  they  took  last  \yednesday  even- 
ing, oil  her  way  to  Gwyn's  Island  to  joia  Lord 
Dunmore.  The  people  on  board  inform  that  they 
nrc  part  of  a  body  of  3000  troops  which  sailed  from 
C'asgow  for  Boston,  but  upon  hearing  that  place 
\'  as  in  our  possession,  they  steered  their  course  for 
Halifax ;  that  they  had  been  takon  by  the  Andreii) 
Doriiiy  one  of  the  Continental  fleet,  avIio,  after  dis- 
arming them  and  taking  out  all  the  principal  officers, 
with  such  of  the  transport's  crew  as  were  acquainted 
with  navigation,  put  eight  of  their  own  hands  on 
board  to  bring  her  into  port,  but  that  the  carpenter 
of  the  transport  formed  a  ^arty  and  rescued  the 
vessel  from  them,  and  was  conducting  her  into 
Hampton  Road,  Avhen  the  two  Captains  Barrons 
very  fortunately  came  across  them,  and  moored  them 
safe  at  Jamestown,  where  they  qvo  now  disetubark- 
itig,  and  avo  expected  in  town  this  day."  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  story  of  this  capture,  revolt,  and 
recapture,  had  a  happier  ending  for  the  prisoners 
than  that  of  the  capture  of  the  transport  which 
sailed  into  Massachusetts  Bay  after  the  town  of 
Boston  had  been  evacuated  by  the  British  troops. 
Colonel  Campbell,  who  was  in  comniantl  of  the 
Highland  soldiers  in  the  latter  vessel,  was  thrown 
into  the  most  loathsome  duno-eon  of  the  common 
prison,  and  subjected  to  a  maltreatment  which  ex- 
cited the  indignation  of  Washington,  and  caused 
him  to  remonstrate  so  emphatically  that  the  uiifortu- 


^1  iW 


r  T''? 


SO 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


nate  prisoner  of  war  was   afterwards  treated  witli 
greater  humanity. 

Before  laying  the  Fhiladelijhla  Pachd  aside,  I  may 
note  that  it  contains  an  advertisement  of  Dr.  Price's 
"  Observations  on  the  nature  of  Civil  [jiberty,  the 
principles  of  Government,  and  the  Justice  and 
Policy  of  the  War  with  America,"  to  which  the 
following  remarks  are  appended  : — "  Tliis  learned, 
judicious,  and  liberal  author  had  the  thanks  of  the 
Common  Council  and  the  freedom  of  the  City  of 
London  presented  to  him  in  a  gold  box  for  his  much- 
admired  and  most  excellent  pamphlet  on  Civil 
Liberty,  and  for  which  he  also  deserves  the  united 
thanks  of  America."  Two  advertisements,  which 
would  now  be  herded  in  an  English  newspaper  "  To 
be  sold  by  auction,"  and  in  a  newspaper  of  the 
United  States  "  To  be  sold  at  auction,"  are  headed 
respectively,  "  To  be  sold  by  public  vendue,"  and 
"  To  be  sold  by  public  sale."  Two  others  bear  the 
respective  headings  "  Six  dollars  reward "  and 
"  Five  pounds  reward,"  showing  that  a  twofold  mode 
of  reckoning  money  was  then  in  vogue.  Readers  of 
local  newsj)apers  in  the  United  States  are  familiar 
with  appeals  to  subscribers  to  pay  their  debts.  That 
Mr.  John  Dunlap,  proprietor  and  printer  of  the 
Phllad('lj_)]da  rad'ct,  was  not  free  from  the  cares 
which  vex  the  hearts  of  some  of  his  successors 
is  evinced  by  the  following  intimation  which  is 
printed  on  the  same  page  as  the  immortal  Declara- 
tion and  in  still  larger  type : — "  The  uncommon 
expense  attending  the  publication  of  this  newspaper 
at  this  day,  obliges  the  printer  to  inform  those 
gentlemen  indebted  for  this  paper  longer  than 
twelve  months,  that,  without  pay,  it  cannot  })e  con- 


THl!;    f'lTV    OF    I'.ROTTTERLY    r.oVK. 


81 


liiiued    to   them  more   than    four  weeks   from  tliis 
date." 

I  have  more  to  tell  about  Philadelphia  as  it  aji- 
pcarcd  in  the  year  when  the  anniversary  of  the 
Centenary  of  the  Repubhc  absorbed  the  thouglits  of 
its  citizens.  But  additional  notes  and  comments 
may  be  postponed  till  I  have  character i:',ed  the  Inter- 
national Exhibition,  wherein  all  the  countries  of  the 
globe  were  represented  in  friendly  rivalry  upon  the 
soil  of  the  United  States  of  America. 


iii 


(i 


82 


V. 


TriE    INTERNATrONAli   FA'TIIP.TTTON. 

Evf^RY  citizen  of  the  United  States  witli  whom  T 
talked  about  the  International  Exhibition  at  Pliila- 
delphia  said  to  me  : — "  Well,  sir,  how  does  it  coni- 
pnro  with  tlioso  of  Europe  ?"  I  have  always  replied 
with  perfect  sincerity,  that  I  considered  it  eijual  to  the 
best  of  them.  Having  seen  every  Great  Exhibition, 
save  one,  since  the  first  was  held  in  Hyde  Park,  I  have 
had  suflBcicnt  opportunities  for  forming  an  opinion 
based  upon  experience  and  comparison.  Had  my 
sphere  of  observation  been  more  limited,  it  is  possi- 
ble that  this  International  Exhibition  would  have 
produced  the  same  impression  upon  me  as  it  did 
upon  those  to  whom  such  a  spectacle  was  entirely 
novel.  When  dissatisfied  readers  of  Panrh  or  the 
Saturday  EevinD  say  in  their  haste  that  these 
journals  have  greatly  fallen  off,  that  the  former  is 
not  so  lively  and  pointed  as  of  old,  that  the  latter  is 
far  heavier  than  it  used  to  be,  they  omit  to  take  into 
account  the  effect  upon  themselves  of  a  long  succes- 
sion of  bright  jokes,  clever  sketches,  and  slashing 
articles,  and  never  dream  that  the  dryness  and  pon- 
derosity of  which  they  complain  may  be  mere  fig- 
ni'  ts  of  their  own  minds  instead  of  being  attributes 
of  the  journals.     Having  been  surfeited   with  good 


THE    INTEUNATIONAI.    EXITllHTIOX. 


83 


tli:'\u;s,  ihoy  have  grown  querulous  and  over-exacting. 
If  tlie  dullest  number  over  wliieli  they  profess  to 
yawn  Avero  the  opening  one,  in  ])laco  of  being  the 
continuation  of  an  admirable  scries,  they  Avould 
welcome  it  with  the  delight  of  peisons  avid  for  the 
enjoyment  of  something  fresh  and  sparkling.  In 
like  manner,  if  sight-seers  had  not  been  cloyed  with 
Exhibitions,  if  this  were  1851  instead  of  187(),  if  the 
Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  were  the  first  in  date, 
all  visitors  to  it  might  have  been  puzzled  to  find 
words  wherewith  to  express  their  wonder  and  grati- 
fication. 

This  Exhibition  in  Fairmount  Park,  though  on  a 
larger  scale  and  more  ambitious  in  design  tlian  that 
which  was  held  in  Hyde  Park  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ngo,  did  not  eclipse  the  memory  of  its  predecessor. 
The  very  edifice  in  which  tlie  first  World's  Fair  was 
held  recalled  a  vision  of  Fairyland,  presenting  to 
the  eye  in  visible  form  the  wondrous  structures 
which,  till  then,  had  no  existence  out  of  the  pages  of 
the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  and  the  "  Faerie  Queene."  It 
is  even  doubtful  whether  any  pahr-^  imagined  and 
described  by  Sheherazade  or  Spenser  was  more 
marvellous  in  plan  and  appearance  than  the  Crystal 
Palace,  designed  by  Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  constructed 
by  Sir  Charles  Fox,  decorated  by  Owen  Jones,  and 
filled  wnth  the  treasures  of  all  nations.  In  no  other 
building  erected  for  a  like  purpose  has  the  view  of 
the  central  transept  been  equalled,  with  the  fine  old 
trees,  where  birds  hopped  and  twittered,  and  with 
the  crystal  fountain  playing  between  them.  In  no 
other  exhibition  has  such  a  gem  been  shown  as  the 
great  Koh-i-noor  diamond,  which  sparkled  within  an 
iron  cage  in  the  nave.     Nor  has  any  piece  of  sculp- 


^^T 


84 


COLUMJilA    AND    CANADA. 


tiiro  attracted  greater  crowds  of  admirers  in  a  sub- 
sequent ExliibiLion  tliaii  tlie  statue  of  tlie  Givck 
Slave  by  Hiram  PoAvers.  Tlie  work  of  art  excited 
tlrj  greater  interest  because  it  was  from  tlie  chisel  of 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  'W)  otlier  citizens  of 
that  country  the  Britisli  ■j)ul)lic  owed  tlianks  for 
some  amusement  and  much  instruction.  Agricul- 
turists were  told  that  a  machine  had  been  brought 
across  the  Atlantic  which  enabled  the  farmer  to 
liarvest  his  crops  of  grain  or  grass  at  far  greater 
speed  and  less  C(xst  than  by  the  reaping-hook  or  the 
scythe.  Mr.  ]\['Cormick's  reaping-machine  was 
pronounced  one  of  the  most  original  products  of  an 
inventive  nation  till  it  \vassiio\vn,to  the  gratification 
of  many  persons  and  the  astonisliment  of  tlie  g(>neral 
public,  that  the  model  upon  which  the  wonderful 
machine  had  been  framed  was  still  in  existence ; 
that,  during  twenty  years,  it  had  been  annually  used 
in  reaping  the  harvest  on  the  glebe  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Bell  in  the  Carsc  of  Gowrie,  and  that  the  merit  of 
originality  actually  belonged  to  an  obscure  Scottish 
minister.  Moreover,  when  the  first  reaper  aviis 
pitted  against  the  later  and  improved  one  it  success- 
fully held  its  own.  Another  citizen  of  the  Ile|)ublic 
made  for  himself  a  lasting  name  as  a  picker  of  locks. 
For  years,  a  lock  had  hung  in  the  window  of  Messrs. 
Bramah  with  a  notice  offering  a  reward  of  cClOO  to 
the  person  who  should  open  the  lock  with  any  other 
than  the  right  key.  Mr.  Hobbs  came  forward, 
opened  the  lock  and  claimed  the  reward,  greatly  to 
the  astonishment  and  mortification  of  its  makers, 
while  he  exhibited  a  lock  of  his  own  which  he  boldly 
challenged  anyone  to  open  in  like  maimer.  Among 
the  surprises  of  that  memorable  year  was  the  advent 


THE    INTKKNATIUNAL    KXIIimTION. 


80 


of  tlic  yiicht  Amrrica.  Its  ])C'rforni;incos  outviod 
tlioso  of  any  Eiiij^lisli  jnclit,  just  as  tlio  locks  of  Mr. 
Ilobbs  surpassed  in  security  those  of  Messrs.  Bi'ainali 
and  Messrs.  (;hul)b.  The  owner  capped  liis  acliieve- 
nients  by  carrying  tlio  Queen's  Cup  across  i\ni 
Atlantic,  where  it  has  remained  ever  since,  notwith- 
standing the  attempt  of  Mr.  Asli])ury  to  regain  pos- 
session of  it  on  beiialf  of  English  yachtsmen,  and  the 
recent  attempt  of  tlie  owner  of  the  Countcf^s  of 
DulTcrui,  a,  (^anadian  yachtsman,  which  was  far  more 
brilliant  than  that  of  the  Englishman,  and  dilTcred 
from  it  in  this,  that  though  the  Canadian  failed  to 
win  the  race  he  did  not  lose  his  temjx'r. 

The  Exhibition  of  1851  was  a  great  national 
undertaking  and  a  great  fuumcial  success.  It  was 
opened  with  all  the  pomp  of  j'oyal  state;  when  its 
doors  were  closed  ami  all  expenses  paid,  a  very  largo 
surplus  remained  in  hand.  The  Exhibition  at  Pliila- 
delphia  has  achieved  a  success  only  second  to  that 
of  the  first  in  London.  But  the  lower  the  anticipa- 
tions of  future  blessings  the  greater  the  chance  of  a 
prophetic  triumph.  The  lofty  expectations  formed 
and  expressed  in  1851  have  not  been  completely 
justified  by  events;  it  would  be  historically  inaccu- 
rate to  date  the  Millennium  from  the  vear  in  which 
the  peaceful  representatives  of  the  nations  of  the 
world  first  met  in  amicable  intercourse  and  competi- 
tion undiu'  the  same  roof: 

The  Crimean  Campaign  begrsn  three  years  after  that 
meeting  of  the  nations  in  Hyde  T.r'k,  where  they  were 
su])posed  to  have  entered  into  ;in  eternal  friendship  ; 
the  Italian  Campaign  began  four  years  after  a  like 
gathering  in  the  Champs  Ely  sees;  the  Franco-German 
War  bega'i   three  years  after  another  and  grander 


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COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


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gathering  in  the  Champs  de  Mars ;  bloody  and  de- 
plorable hostilities  between  the  Indians  of  Dakota 
and  the  troops  of  the  United  States  were  in  progress 
while  the  exhibition  in  Fairmount  Park  was  open ; 
and  a  deadly  struggle  between  the  Russian  and  the 
Turk  began  six  months  after  it  was  closed.  Super- 
stitious observers  of  bygone  days  would  have  regarded 
these  coincidences  as  natural  sequences,  and  they 
would  have  argued  that  a  great  Exhibition  is  neces- 
sarily succeeded  by  a  great  war.  The  modern 
blunder  has  been  to  infer  that  nations  have  made 
as  great  a  progress  in  civilization  as  they  profess 
to  have  done,  to  fancy  that  rivals  in  art  and 
industry  are  no  longer  animated  by  the  foidest  pas- 
sions which  degrade  human  nature,  and  to  conclude 
that  a  World's  Fair  mysteriously  exorcises  the 
demon  which  prompts  to  rivalry  on  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. Livilization  is  still  in  a  much  less  advanced 
stage  than  most  people  like  to  admit,  while  the 
confraternity  of  nations  is  as  yet  little  more  than  a 
fascinating  plirase. 

Tlie  buildings  composing  the  International  Exhi- 
bition in  Fairmount  Park  covered  seventy-five  acres 
of  ground,  some  of  them  were  half  a  mile  apart. 
There  were  170  separate  structures,  yet  the  grounds 
did  not  seem  crowded.  The  maiu  buildiiijj,  thouali 
a  very  large  one,  being  1,880  feet  long  by  4G4  feet 
wide,  had  no  look  of  vastness.  This  was  owing  to  the 
roof  being  comparatively  low.  The  Machineiy  Hall, 
500  feet  west  of  the  main  building,  was  not  remark- 
able in  appearance ;  the  Memorial  Hall,  a  permanent 
stone  edifice,  was  the  most  ambitious  structure  from 
an  architectural  point  of  view.  I  learned  that  it  is 
modern  renaissance  style ;  if  this  be  a  good  speci- 


THE   INTRKNATIONAL    EXHIBITION. 


87 


men,  the  less  frequently  tliat  stylo  is  reproduced  the 
bettor.  A  colossal  dome  surmounts  the  edifice ;  on 
the  top  of  the  ball,  at  the  summit  of  the  dome,  there 
stands  a  figure  which  is  understood  to  represent 
Columbia.  At  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  four 
pavilions  at  the  base  of  the  bidlding,  are  other  repre- 
sentatives of  Columbia  in  the  form  of  huge  cast-iron 
eagles  with  outstretched  wings,  the  wings  being 
kept  securely  in  their  places  by  means  of  conspicuous 
metal  rods.  I  should  bo  guilty  of  gross  flattery  to 
the  architect  if  I  said  that  the  general  effect  is 
pleasing;  still,  the  impression  made  by  the  outside  is 
most  gratifying  compared  with  that  produced  on  me 
when  I  first  entered  the  vestibule  and  looked  at  the 
glass  chandelier,  ludicrously  out  of  keeping  with  the 
general  design,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  plaster 
libel  upon  Washington  contributed  by  an  enthu- 
siastic Italian  artist.  The  Horticultural  Hall,  which 
is  also  to  remain  permanently  in  its  place,  resembles 
other  buildings  of  its  class.  Not  so  the  Agricultural 
Hall,  however,  nearly  half  a  mile  distant  from  the 
main  building.  This  was  unique  of  its  kind.  Never 
before  did  it  enter  into  man's  head  to  plan  a  building 
for  the  display  of  agricultural  machinery  which 
should  resemble  a  Gothic  cathedral. 

Among  the  first  things  seen  after  entering  tho 
main  building  were  several  human  skulls,  exhibited 
by  a  defaulting  South  American  State.  A  more  ex- 
traordinary article  of  produce  was  never  shown 
in  an  international  exhibition.  Possibly,  they  were 
meant  to  warn  the  despoiled  bondholder  that, 
despite  grumbling  because  his  coupons  are  unpaid 
and  his  principal  is  gone,  to  this  complexion  he,  too, 
must  come  at  last,     l^gypt  next  attracted  attention 


::! 


i  1 


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i   i 


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iau'|ilWi<;  II  'J    '  .P')  III" 


88 


roLUMlllA    AND    CANADA. 


with  the  following  inscription  over  an  archway : — 
"  The  oldest  people  of  the  world  send  their  mornin<r 
greeting  to  the  youngest  nation."  A  stuffed  ciofo- 
dilo  was  one  of  the  principal  Egyptian  exhibits. 
The  morning  greeting  was  a  happy  sentiment ;  the 
stuffed  crocodile  might  have  been  intended  as  a  sort 
of  hieroglyphic  for  the  benefit  of  the  more  cultured 
Egyptian  bondholders.  Yet  neither  the  sentiment 
nor  the  dead  reptile  seemed  sufl&cient  to  attract 
the  crowd  of  ladies  which  assembled  day  after  day 
in  the  Egyptian  Court.  One  lady  after  another,  who 
seemed  bent  upon  whispering  a  few  words  to  the 
attendant,  turned  away,  after  receiving  a  curt  reply, 
in  a  state  of  evident  dissatisfaction.  A  friendly  jour- 
nalist elucidated  the  mystery.  It  seems  that  an 
enterprising  reporter,  having  little  to  say  about  the 
Egyptian  exhibit,  thought  the  readers  of  his  paper 
would  be  gratified  to  be  informed  that  the  most 
curious  article  there  was  a  lady's  night-dress,  of 
surpassing  beauty,  which  had  been  bought  by  Miss 
Ordway  of  Reading,  a  rich  young  lady  who  was 
about  to  become  a  bride.  These  ladies  desired  to 
see  this  marvel  of  Egyptian  handiwork ;  but  the 
attendant  could  not  gratify  the  curiosity  which  they 
displayed.  He  did  not  understand  what  they  meant, 
and  they  did  not  believe  his  profession  of  ignorance. 
The  night-dress  of  Miss  Ordway  was  a  myth.  Close 
at  hand  was  the  Spanish  Court,  making  a  great  ex- 
ternal siiow,  and  containing  little  that  repaid  exami- 
nation. Some  Spanish  soldiers  and  officers,  in  full- 
dress  uniform,  attracted  as  much  notice  as  any  of 
the  things  exhibited.  If  the  number  of  orders  upon 
the  breasts  of  these  young  ofiicers  were  a  true  cri- 
terion of  their  ^(^rvices,  they  must  have  performed 


TUn    JNTERNATIONAL    EXIIIIUTION. 


89 


as  many  deeds  of  valour  as  Don  Quixote.  Russia 
exiiibitcd  those  malacliite  ornaments  which  always 
excite  admiration,  notwithstanding  that  visitors  to 
great  exhibitions  have  become  familiar  with  them  ; 
but  she  did  not  show  here  anything  equal  to  the 
large  malachite  doors,  the  most  costly  ever  made, 
which  were  among  the  wonders  of  the  Exhibition 
of  1851.  The  work  for  which  Vienna  is  famous 
all  over  the  world  was  well  represented  in  the  Aus- 
trian Court,  while  the  porcelain  from  Berlin  in  the 
German  Court  was  as  noteworthy  and  admirable. 
The  lace  from  Belgium,  the  carved  wood- work  and 
mosaics  from  Italy,  watches  and  musical  boxes  from 
Switzerland,  ftligree  jewellery  from  Norway,  iron- 
work from  Sweden,  porcelain  from  China,  and  lac- 
quer ware  from  Japan ;  bronzes,  silks,  tapestries, 
enamels,  porcelain,  perfumery,  and  a  multitude  of 
fancy  articles  from  France ;  pottery,  glass,  silver- 
ware, carpetSj  clocks,  watches,  and  furniture  from 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland ;  these  are  things  of 
which  the  remembrance  remains  most  vividly  after 
a  careful  inspection  of  the  foreign  departments  in 
the  main  building. 

In  the  part  of  the  building  containing  the  display 
of  the  United  States,  the  effect  of  novelty  was  far 
greater :  never  before  had  I  seen  that  country  ade- 
quately represented ;  hitherto  it  was  impossible  to 
forma  jiist  opinion  of  the  diversity  and  completeness 
of  its  manufacturing  industry. 

Fruitless  attempts  were  made  to  induce  the  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States  to  contribute  on  a  largo 
scale  to  the  display  in  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851. 
Writing  to  Sir  Charles  Lyell  on  the  subject,  Mr. 
Ticknor  said :  "  There  is  no  use  in  trying  to  stir  up 


? 


H 

,,■ 

^ 

;    i' 

■  ft     -  f 

i 

: ! 

u 


90 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


1 


llll 


our  people  to  make  a  decent  show  of  themselves  at 
the  Crystal  Palace  ;  they  won't  do  it."  The  reason  as- 
siijned  for  the  refusal  was  that  "tlie  French,  the  lias- 
sians,  and  the  Germans  send  their  goods  to  England 
as  means  of  advertising  them  all  over  the  world  ;  we 
look  for  no  sale  out  of  our  own  country.  Why  then' 
should  we  take  the  trouble  and  expense  to  advertise 
abroad  ?  "  '  At  the  International  Exhibition  of  18G2 
the  United  States  again  failed  to  do  justice  to  them- 
selves. At  the  Exhibitions  in  Paris  and  Vienna  they 
were  far  better  represented  than  at  those  held  in  Lon- 
don. Yet  none  of  these  exhibitions  afforded  anything 
like  an  adequate  notion  of  what  could  be  done  by  the 
Republic  when  she  chose  to  put  forth  her  strength. 
Those  persons  only  who  have  devoted  themselves  to 
giving  a  minute  account  of  the  several  things  exhi- 
bited can  convey  to  the  reader  a  proper  notion  of  the 
extraordinary  richness  of  this  department.  In  my 
opinion,  though  very  far  behind  some  nations  in 
particular  things,  the  United  States  occupied  the 
front  rank  when  their  performance  was  regarded  as 
a  whole. 

After  giving  cordial  praise  to  the  United  States, 
the  impartial  chronicler  must  emphatically  state  that 
the  display  made  by  the  Mothe^'-land  and  her  at- 
tached  Colonies  and  Dependencies  was  equally  re- 
markable. Nothing  like  it  had  been  seen  in  any 
Exhibition  which  I  had  visited.  For  the  first  time, 
the  great  British  Colonies  showed  what  they  could 
do  when  put  upon  their  mettle.  Chief  among 
the  Dependencies  is  India,  while  Canada  is  chief 
among  the  Colonies.     Both  justified  their  station  by 

'  Memoirs  ol'  George  Tickuor,  vol.  ii.  p.  271. 


THE    1NTEI:\ATI0NAL    EXHIBITION. 


91 


the  display  which  they  made.  The  curiously  carved 
furniture,  the  exquisite  tissues,  the  beautiful  shawls, 
the  peculiar  jewellery  of  India,  ranked  high  among 
the  attractions  of  this  building.  As  for  the  Domi- 
nion of  Canada,  the  effect  of  the  display  made  by  her 
proved  extraordinary.  Australians,  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  import  certain  articles  from  the 
United  States,  have  now  learned  that  similar  articles 
can  be  procured  on  more  advantageous  terms  from 
their  fellow-colonists  in  North  America,  and  they  have 
decided  to  give  Canada  the  preference  in  the  future. 
Ignorance  of  what  the  Dominion  can  produce  is  the 
rule  in  the  United  States ;  when  citizens  of  that 
country  saw  what  had  actually  been  contributed  by 
Canada  their  surprise  was  unbounded.  The  most 
depreciatory  remark  on  the  subject  which  I  heard 
or  read  Avas  that  Canadian  manufactures,  though 
varied  and  excellent  in  their  way,  closely  resembled 
those  of  the  United  States. 

The  mineral  products  of  the  Dominion  were  well 
sot  forth  and  suitably  classified  in  a  section  apart. 
The  plan  of  displaying  samples  of  tlie  mineral  wealth 
of  the  whole  country  in  a  separate  collection  was  a 
very  good  one,  for  it  enabled  the  observer  to  form 
something  like  a  fair  idea  alike  of  the  great  extent 
of  the  Dominion  and  of  the  multiplicity,  as  well  as 
value  of  its  resources.  Specimens  were  given  of 
the  coal,  not  inferior  to  the  best  found  elsewhere, 
Avliich  is  won  alike  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  side  of 
the  Continent.  The  Nova  Scotian  granite  could  com- 
pare in  hardness  and  capability  of  polish  with  that 
which  is  quarried  at  Aberdeen  and  Peterhead.  Slate 
Avas  shoAvn  equal  to  the  best  that  comes  from  Wales. 
Specimens  of  ironstone,  of  lead,  silver,  and 


copp 


er 


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m\ 

92 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


ores  y)rovod  the  abundanco  of  tlie  useful  metals  in  tlie 

Doniiiiioi).     A  pyramid  represented  the  quantity  of 

gold  found   in    the   Province  of  British   Columbia. 

Much  has  been  written  about  the  gold  which  comes 

from  Australia  and  California,  but  the  public  arc  not 

familiar  with  the  returns  from  this  Province.    I  have 

before   me   some  statistics  compiled  by   Mr.  Good, 

the  Deputy-Minister  of  Mines  there,  from  which  I 

make  the  following  extracts.     From  1858,  the  year 

in  which  gold  was  first  found,   down  to  the  year 

which   is   past,  the  total  returns  are  estimated  at 

upwards  of  $38,000,000.     The  average  earnings  per 

year  of  each  miner  di;ring  that  period  were  $058. 

The  largest  return  in  any  one  year  was  made  in 

18G4 ;    the  number  of  miners  then   employed  was 

4,400,  and  their  average  yearly  earnings  were  $848 

per  man.      In    1875,  the  yield   was   but   $400,000 

under  that  of  18G4,  while  the  number  of  miners  had 

fallen  to   less  than    one-half,   so   that   the   average 

earnings  per  man  were  much  higher,  being  $1,22-'. 

Seeing  that  in  the  most  favourable  circumstances  a 

miner's   income    averages   about   £800   a   year,    it 

cannot  be  said  that  this  form  of  gold-getting  is  the 

quickest  way  in  which  to  grow  rich.     The  Australian 

Colonies  exhibited   pyramids,  like  that   of  British 

Columbia,    which   they   styled   gold    trophies,    and 

which  were  conspicuous  monuments  of  vast  auriferous 

wealth.     They  also   showed  specimens  of  their  coal, 

copper,  iron,  tin,  antimony,  nickel,  lead,  and  other 

metals ;  of  their  grain,  wool,  silk,  tobacco,  fruits, 

and  wines,  and  of  the  trees  which  are  peculiar  to 

their  land.     ]\lost  notable  for  the  arranixement  of 

its  exhibit  was  the  Colony  of  Queensland.     A  series 

of  large  coloured  photographs,  hung, along  the  walls, 


>     I       : 


THE    rNTEUNATIONAI,    KXIUUiTKA'. 


93 


cniiljled  tlio  spectator  to  understand  the  appearance 
of  the  country,  while  the  products  were  chissified 
and  arranged  in  order  underneath.  Not  a  Colony 
Imd  forgotten  to  send  something.  The  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  displayed  some  of  its  ostrich  feathers 
and  wines,  its  minerals  and  coal,  its  fruits  and 
diamonds.  There  were  samples  of  the  sugar  and 
rum  of  British  Guiana;  the  Island  of  Jamaica  had 
a  fine  assortment  of  woods,  spirits,  and  spices  ;  some 
curious  ornaments  and  vegetable  products  had  come 
from  the  little  known  Seychelles  Islands,  beautiful 
artificial  flowers,  formed  of  delicate  shells,  from  the 
Bahamas,  and  filigree  work,  as  fine  as  any  made  in 
Genoa,  had  come  from  the  Gold  Coast.  In  short,  a 
walk  through  the  courts  occupied  by  the  British 
Em})ire  gave  a  better  notion  of  the  vastness  and 
wealth  of  that  Empire  than  pages  of  statistics. 

The  Machinery  Hall,  as  might  have  been  expected, 
contained  plenty  of  things  to  interest  the  simple 
spectator  and  to  instruct  the  practical  mechanician. 
Many  machines,  which  were  considered  extraordinary 
novelties  at  the  Great  Exhibition  of  1851,  are  now 
antiquated  or  commonplace.  Then  people  gazed 
with  wonder  upon  Applegarth's  cylindrical  printing 
press  turning  out  printed  sheets  of  the  Illustrated 
London  Neivs  in  uninterrupted  succession,  upon  the 
columns  of  water  raised  in  continuous  streams  by 
Appleton's  and  Gwynne's  rotary  pumps,  upon  the 
conversion  of  sheets  of  paper  into  finished  envelopes 
in  Mr.  De  la  Rue's  ingenious  machine.  Far  more 
wonderful  printing  presses,  far  more  powerful  pumps, 
and  still  more  perfect  envelope-making  machinery 
were  to  be  seen  in  operation  in  the  international 
exhibition  of  1 876.     It  was  considered  a  great  feat, 


■11 ' 


in 


i 


9 


l^ 


94 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


in  1851,  to  produce  a  sheet  of  paper  a  milo  lon(T; 
now,  rolls  of  pnper,  each  four  miles  in  length,  are 
daily  consumed  by  the  score  in  newspaper  offices 
where  AValter,  Iloe,  or  Bullock  printing  presses  are 
employed.  Tlie  ^yalter  press  was  one  of  the  sights 
of  the  Machinery  Hall.  Comparisons  were  made 
between  this  triumph  of  English  ingenuity  and 
journalistic  enterprise  and  the  competing  presses  of 
Hoc  and  Bullock,  which  demonstrated  what  had 
been  done  in  the  United  States.  Perhaps  if  the 
whole  truth  had  been  known,  the  impression  made 
on  the  public  mind  would  have  been  even  greater. 
The  Walter  press  used  in  printing  the  Times  is,  so 
to  speak,  the  direct  product  of  the  Times  as  a  news- 
paper. The  design  of  its  founder  was  not  only  to 
produce  a  newspaper  second  to  none,  but  also  to 
print  it  in  the  best  possible  way.  After  Mr.  Emer- 
son's visit  to  England  in  1847,  ho  wrote  as  follows 
concerning  that  great  journal :  "  It  has  shown  those 
qualities  which  are  dear  to  Englishmen,  unflinching 
adherence  to  its  objects,  prodigal  intellectual  ability, 
and  a  towering  assurance,  backed  by  the  perfect 
organization  in  its  printing-house,  and  its  world- 
wide net-work  of  correspondence  and  reports."  The 
Walter  press  is  the  last,  but  not  the  only  illustration 
of  the  judicious  and  far-seeing  policy  with  which  the 
Times  has  been  conducted.  One  of  these  presses 
was  at  work  every  day  printing  the  New  Yorh  Times  ; 
a  large  crowd  was  always  present  watching  with 
simple  curiosity  or  keenly  critical  eye  the  press 
which  many  practical  men  maintained  to  be  superior 
as  a  whole  to  any  of  those  which  enjoyed  a  great 
reputation  in  the  United  States.  I  will  not  say  that 
it  is  unrivalled.     If  I  were  to  do  so  I  should  be 


THE    INTERNATIONAL    EXHIBITION. 


95 


called  projudicod.  But  I  may  record  that  a  United 
States  engineer  who  had  never  seen  the  AValter 
press  before,  who  was  prepared  to  find  that  it  had 
been  greatly  overrated,  and  who  carefully  compared 
it  with  its  rivals,  expressed  to  mo  his  surprise  at 
tlie  excellence  of  its  design,  of  its  workmanship 
and  of  its  performance. 

No  lesson  could  have  been  more  impressive  than 
that  learned  by  simply  turning  from  these  presses 
pouring  forth  perfectly  printed  newspapers  at  the 
rate  of  fifteen  thousand  copies  an  hour,  to  the  rude 
press  at  which  Benjamin  Franklin  once  worked. 
]\Iarvclloiis  as  are  the  strides  made  by  the  art 
of  printing  in  the  course  of  a  century,  progress  in 
the  future  may  be  yet  more  astounding.  A  com- 
bined type-founding  and  composing  machine  shown 
in  this  hall  proves  that  greater  feats  are  contem- 
plated than  have  yet  been  achieved.  By  simply 
striking  a  set  of  keys,  in  succession,  the  operator 
makes  type  from  molten  metal  and  arranges  the 
type  in  words.  After  the  impression  has  been 
worked  ofi^,  the  types  are  returned  to  the  melting 
pot,  and  are  again  ready  for  the  magical  transforma- 
tion from  a  molten  state  into  a  solid  form,  by  means 
of  which  a  printed  page  can  be  produced. 

A  novelty  not  so  great  as  this,  but  still  worthy  of 
mention,  is  a  machine  called  a  type-writer.  The 
purpose  of  this  machine  is  to  produce  a  fairly  good 
resemblance  to  a  printed  page,  as  rapidly  as  the 
same  number  of  letters  can  be  written  with  a  pen. 
The  machine  is  said  to  be  so  simple  that  a  little 
child  can  work  it.  This  is  the  stereotyped  recom- 
mendation of  a  sewing  machine.  Indeed,  inventors 
seem  to  think  that  they  have    succeeded   in  their 


i 


i  u 


i 


T— r 


il#l 


96 


COLUMIUA    AM)   CANADA. 


ohjocts  wluMi  they  arc  able  to  boast  that  cliihhvii 
can  actuate  tlioir  now  machinery.  A  very  little 
cliild  can  turn  the  liandlc  or  move  iho  treadle  of  a 
sewing  machine,  or  make  a  noise  by  striking  the 
keys  of  a  piano,  yet  the  same  cliild  may  fail  to 
stitch  a  shirt  even  with  the  help  of  a  sewing  machine, 
or  to  play  a  tune  upon  a  piano.  Nothing  can  be 
easier  than  to  form  a  word  by  striking  the  keys  of 
the  type-writer,  yet  as  much  practice  is  required  to 
bo  able  to  use  it  effectively  as  is  required  to  learn 
to  play  well  upon  a  musical  instrument.  Mr. 
AlissofP  sent  a  type-writer  from  St.  Petersburg  to 
compete  with  that  made  in  the  United  States  by 
Messrs.  Remington.  The  Russian  machine,  though 
lacking  in  speed,  had  some  very  good  points  about 
it.  A  type-writer  of  Norwegian  origin  v/as  exhibited 
in  London  several  years  ago  ;  it  was  very  expensive, 
an  objection  which  applies  to  this  one  from  Russia. 
The  American  machine  costs  twenty  guineas  in  Lon- 
don, a  price  at  which  the  profit  must  be  ample,  if 
it  be  true  that  the  cost  of  production  is  less  than 
half  that  sum. 

Among  the  innumerable  things  worthy  of  notice 
in  this  hall,  I  am  disposed  to  pronounce  the 
Bray  ton  Hydro- Carbon  engine  as  best  rewarding 
investigation.  I  think  that  the  inventor  of  this 
engine  has  conclusively  solved  the  problem  how  to 
employ  petroleum  to  the  best  advantage  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  motive  power.  Instead  of 
using  the  petroleum  to  heat  a  steam-boiler,  he  uses 
it  to  produce  a  motive  power  directly,  as  in  gas- 
engines.  Thus,  he  dispenses  with  furnaces  and 
boilers  altogether,  while  he  can  work  his  engine  on 
a  large  scale,  which  cannot  be  done  in  the  case  either 


TUB   INTERNATIONAL    EXllIUITION. 


97 


of  a  caloric  or  a  gas  engiiio. 


I  saw  ono  of  fift(vii 
horse  power  which  worked  well ;  ono  of  double  that 
power  had  been  tested  and  found  to  work  as  satis- 
factorily as  those  of  a  snialk'r  power.  If  antiei- 
pations,  which  a])pear  to  nic  to  bo  justified  by  the 
results  ahx\ady  obtained,  are  fully  reahzed  after 
longer  exporieuce,  this  hyilro-carbon  engine  will  be 
a  real  addition  to  mechanical  powers. 

The  display  of  weighing  machinery  was  very 
extensive,  arguing  an  euornious  demaiiu  in  tlio 
United  States  for  snch  machines.  The  exhibitors 
were  ready  to  let  visitors  tost  their  nv^ chinos  by 
being  weighed  upon  or  in  them ;  some  Oi.  these  were 
adapted  !  t  the  metric  as  Avell  as  the  old  scalo.  I 
hi'f]  the  pleasure  of  learning  not  only  what  was  my 
"Centennial  weight"  in  pounds  avoirdupois,  but 
also  that  this  represented,  according  to  the  metric 
scale,  seventy-seven  kilograms  and  seven  hectograms. 
An  exhibitor  of  litiiographic  presses  offered  visitors 
a  memorial  of  their  visit  in  exchange  for  fifty  cents. 
This  consisted  of  a  highly  ornamented  sheet,  certi- 
fying that  the  person  whose  name  was  inserted  in  the 
blank  space  had  been  present  at  the  International 
Exhibition  of  187G,  this  memorable  fact  being  at- 
tested by  the  fac-sii}iilG  signatures  of  General  Grant, 
President  of  the  United  States;  Mr.  Hartranft, 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Mr. 
Stokley,  Mayor  of  Philadelphia.  The  certificate,  I 
was  assured,  would  not  only  be  an  ornament  to  a 
room  when  framed  and  hung  up  therein,  but  would 
be  an  heir-loom  greatly  prized  by  my  descendants. 
I  refrained  from  obtaining  this  precious  1,  .»'r-loom  at 
the  small  cost  of  fifty  cents ;  but  citizens  of  the 
United  States  thought  the  notion  a  good  one,  and 

H 


» 

1        ,        i 

1 

1 
i 

1 

1 

t   ;■ 

: 

^^^ 


r"*^  'ir^v  ft'-*^vj"'^r"t"' 


y.fr*-'-f''->r''-y..i-  ,< 


m 


98 


COLUMRIA    AND   CANADA. 


were  as  ready  to  buy  these  certificates  as  Parisians 
were  to  buy  certificates  that  they  had  lieroically 
remained  in  Paris  during  the  siege. 

Another  form    of  personal   commemoration    was 
provided  in  a  corridor  of  the  Memorial  Hall .     A  large 
fireproof  iron  safe  shown  there  was  intended  to  pre- 
serve two  huge  volumes  during  a  century,  one  vohimo 
containing  the  photographs,  the  other  the  signatures 
of  citizens    of   the  United    States.     Thus  a  futui-o 
generation  of  Republicans  will  learn  in  197G,  from 
signatures  in  faded  ink  and  from  pictures  in  faded 
outline,  how  their  deceased  progenitors  wrote  and 
looked.     The    collection    of    pictures    in    this   Hall 
was  very  fine  and  instructive.     Never  before  had  so 
many  works  of  the  best  modern  English  artists  been 
brought  together.     The  Royal  Academy  contributed 
the  diploma  pictures    of  its    members ;   these   pic- 
tures being  then  shown  in  public  for  the  first  time. 
Among  them  were  the  diploma  pictures   of  West, 
Constable,  Turner,  Wilkie,  and  other  artists  whoso 
names  are  household  words.     Mr.  Prith's  picture  of 
the  marriage  of  the  IVince  and  Princess  of  AV^ales, 
contributed  by  the  Queen,  attracted  the  most  notice. 
It  was  one  of  the  few  which  the  ordinary  sight-seer 
could     thoroughly    appreciate,    its    artistic    short- 
comings being  no  demerits  in  his  eyes.     The  "  Rail- 
way Station,"  by  the  same  artist,  was  included  in 
this  collection  ;  but  its  interest  for  American  specta- 
tors was   very   slight.       Pointing    it   out   to   some 
friends,  I  remarked  that  the    sum  of  £20,000  had 
been   realized   by  the    sale   and   exhibition   of  the 
picture;  some  bystanders  overheard  the  remark,  and 
one  of  them  said  to  me,  "  Is  that  really  so.  Sir  ?  " 
Replying  that  I  believed  the  fact  to  be  as   I  had 


! 
■I  ■ 


THE    INT3RNATI0NAL   EXnimXION. 


99 


stated,  ho  communicated  tho  information  to  otliors, 
tlio  result  being  that,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  picture 
attracted  a  dense  crowd  of  gazers,  lost  in  admi- 
ration at  its  value  in  pounds  sterling.  Two  portraits 
in  the  British  collection  were  fraught  witli  soul- 
stirring  memories  and  painful  reflections ;  those  of 
Washington  and  Wellington.  That  of  the  great 
Duke  represented  him  as  he  was  in  old  age,  and,  as 
I  can  testify  from  personal  remembrance,  did  so  with 
perfect  fidelity;  that  of  the  great  commoner  de- 
picted him  as  he  appeared  at  a  time  when  he  had 
achieved  immortal  fame  by  his  unsurpassed  patriot- 
ism and  statesmanship,  and  wlien  his  earthly  course 
had  been  nearly  run.  Both  are  excellent  pictures, 
that  of  Washington  being  the  best  portrait  of  him 
which  is  extant;  it  is  known  as  the  Lansdowne 
portrait,  was  painted  by  Gilbert  Stuart,  and  is  now 
the  property  of  Mr.  J.  Delaware  Lewis.  Some 
objections  were  raised  to  the  portrait  being  shown 
in  a  conspicuous  place  among  the  works  of  art  con- 
tributed by  the  Motherland,  and  an  attempt  was 
made  to  have  it  transferred  to  the  United  States 
department.  The  attempt  failed.  The  persons  who 
made  it  must  have  forgotten  or  been  unaAvaro  that, 
with  the  exception  of  Cromwell,  no  British  worthy 
receives  more  unstinted  honour  than  Washington, 
and  must  never  have  heard  that,  in  tho  National 
Portrait  Gallery  at  South  Kensington,  where  are 
hung  the  portraits  of  the  great  men  in  whom  the 
United  Kingdom  glories,  the  portrait  of  Washing- 
ton has  an  honoured  place.  Among  the  thousands 
who  looked  upon  the  portrait  of  Wellington  there 
were  very  fevr  who  did  so  with  intelligent  interest. 
To  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  he  is  a  mere 

n  2 


n 


',  t 


f  {> 


Vfl  " 


I 


il! 


il|i 


100 


COI.U.MI'.IA    ANO    CANADA. 


name  and  nothing  more.  Some  acquaintances  from 
New  England,  whose  knowledge  of  European  history 
was  far  more  extensive  tlian  tliat  of  the  ordiiiiivv 
siglit-seer,  candidly  told  me  that  their  knowledge  of 
what  the  Duke  had  accomplished  was  but  shadowy, 
and  that  their  interest  in  him  was  of  the  slightest 
possible  kind.  The  admission  has  been  made  so 
often  and  unreservedly  in  the  journals  of  the  United 
States,  that  the  British  collection  excelled  the  others 
in  completeness  and  attraction,  that  I  shall  not  be 
chargeable  with  prejudice  in  caUing  the  others 
commonplace  and  meagre.  The  New  York  Tribune, 
writing  about  the  show  of  pictures  in  the  United 
States  department,  used  the  phrase  "  acres  of 
mediocrity,"  to  characterize  the  collection  as  a 
Avhole.  There  were,  indeed,  some  excellent  pictures ; 
but  too  many,  like  Rothermel's  "  Battle  of  Gettys- 
burg," excited  Avonder  as  to  wdiy  they  should  have 
obtained  a  prominent  place  in  the  collection. 

An  inspection  of  the  United  States  show  of  pic- 
tures confirmed  me  in  the  opinior  expressed  in  the 
third  chapter,  that  their  artists,  though  not  lacking 
in  imag-'^ative  powers  or  in  techaical  skill,  have 
not  yet  succeeded  in  forming  themselves  into  a 
national  school.  British  painters  may  be  chargeable 
with  many  deficiencies  or  insular  peculiarities  ;  but 
they  cannot  be  accused  of  imitating  the  manner  of 
any  foreign  school.  The  finest  works  in  art  and 
literature  are  produced  for  the  gratification  of  the 
world  and  not  of  a  single  nation  only  ;  they  delight 
mankind  because  they  appeal  to  a  universal  senti- 
ment. United  States  artists  may  well  forego  the 
fame  of  founding  a  national  school,  if  they  succeed 
in  making  themselves  at  home  everywhere. 


TUE    INTERNATIONAL    EXHIBITION. 


lOL 


Tlie  numbor  of  paintings  by  the  best  foreign 
artists  was  very  small.  A  Spanish  and  a  French 
artist  had  produced  works  designed  to  gratify  those 
persons  who  attended  such  a  gathering  as  that  at 
Philadelphia.  The  one  represented  the  "  Landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  ; "  the  pilgrims  being  depicted 
kneeling  in  prayer,  with  their  hands  folded  across 
their  chests,  just  as  worshippers  do  in  Spanish 
Roman  Catholic  Churches,  aiid  as  no  Puritan  ever 
did  either  in  Old  or  New  England."  The  French 
artist  depicted  the  "  Signing  of  the  Declaration  of 
Lidependence."  The  delegates  were  shown  in  atti- 
tudes familiar  to  those  persons  who  have  seen  the 
French  Assembly  at  Versailles  when  in  a  state  of 
excitement,  some  raising  their  hands  in  token  of 
assent,  others  eagerly  pressing  forward  to  append 
their  names  to  the  Declaration.  This  was  as 
historically  inaccurate  as  the  notion  of  the  Pil- 
grims formed  by  the  Spanish  artist.  The  Decla- 
ration was  signed  by  John  Hancock,  the  President 
of  Congress,  and  countersigned  by  Charles  Thomp- 
son, the  Secretary.  Three  months  elapsed  before 
all  the  signatures  had  been  attached  to  it.  Spec- 
tators, ignorant  of  this  fact,  thought  the  picture  a 
very  fine  representation  of  a  historical  scene. 

The  display  of  implements  and  produce  in  tlie 
Agricultural  Hall  was  very  extensive  and  striking. 
Canadian  implement-makers  disthiguished  them- 
selves here;  their  ploughs  were  highly  praised  by 
experienced  and  practical  farmers,  who  pronounced 
thcni  to  be  superior  in  model  to  that  which  is  gene- 
rally preferred  in  the  United  Stntes.  The  English 
agricultural  implement-nuikers  refused  to  contribute, 
basing  their  objection  on  the  impossibility  of  behig 


'('.' 

! 

r 

"i 

c 

\ 

h 

\  ■'• 

i 

i 

'     i   :,| 

^     li 

! 

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\    ' 

i 

'■! 

C      1 

;;; 

y 

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J 

\ 

-  .^-1^-^  ,— 


T:;.-»T-i,T«-  Lil'.^-TL'M 


K  :  ,*: 


■ii 


102 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


able  to  sell  their  articles  in  the  United  States  through 
the  operation  of  the  protective  system.  A  traction 
engine  which  had  been  used  in  the  British  Depart- 
ment for  hauling  purposes,  was  among  the  very  few 
things  of  the  kind  in  the  Exhibition.  Such  an 
engine  is  almost  indispensable  for  conducting  agri- 
cultural operations  on  a  large  scale.  The  farmer 
wlio  could  use  it  in  the  prairies  of  the  Middle  States 
or  the  plains  of  California  would  gain  enormously. 
The  makers  of  this  one  had  sold  no  less  than  2000 
of  them  elsewhere ;  they  cannot  find  a  market  for 
them  in  the  United  States.  The  price  in  England  is 
£615 ;  delivered  in  NeAV  York  it  is  upwards  of 
£1000.  These  were  the  figures  on  a  placard  affixed 
to  tlie  engine ;  the  difference  between  the  two  suras 
representing'  wliat  is  meant  in  the  United  States  by 
a  prohibitive  tariff*.  One  of  the  exhibits  in  the 
Agricultural  Hall  was  a  live  American  eagle ;  his 
keeper  was  in  the  uniform  of  a  sergeant  in  the 
United  States  army.  The  bird's  name  is  "  Old 
Abe ;"  he  had  been  attached  to  the  8th  Wisconsin 
regiment,  and  had  been  present  at  thirty-five 
battles.  The  desire  to  possess  this  feathered  hero 
was  keen;  Colonel  Wood  of  Pniladelphia  offered 
$10,000  for  him;  Barnum  twice  that  large  sura. 
But  the  State  of  Wisconsin  would  not  part  with 
him.  He  is  maintained  by  the  State ;  eats  once  a 
day,  and  will  not  touch  anything  except  fresh  fish, 
fowl,  or  veal.  Photographs  of  this  dainty  and  bel- 
ligerent eagle  were  on  sale  for  the  benefit  of  a 
charitable  fund.  Despite  his  personal  merits  and 
services,  this  bird  seemed  to  me  out  of  place  in  pn 
International  Exhibition.  The  only  explanation  of 
his  appearance  which  I  have  met  with  is   that  he 


THE    INTERNATIONAL   EXHIBITION. 


103 


served  to  let  visitors  see  "  What  a  real  live  bird  of 
freedom  was  like."  '^  Unless  Franklin  had  changed 
his  mind,  he,  for  one,  would  have  taken  no  pleasure 
in  the  sight.  He  protested  against  the  eagle  being 
the  symbol  of  his  native  land,  on  the  ground  that 
"  he  is  a  bird  of  bad  moral  character ;  ho  does  not 
get  his  living  honestly." 

Though  the  ingenuity  of  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  in  advertising  is  indisputable,  yet  it  was  not 
specially  displayed  within  the  International  Exhibi- 
tion. The  most  conspicuous  advertisers  were  the 
persons  who  provided  pills  for  every  malady  and 
coffins  for  the  victims  of  the  pills.  Next  in  perti- 
nacity wore  the  proprietors  of  the  Gettysburg  Kata- 
lysine  water.  I  tasted  this  fluid,  which  resembled 
ordinary  water  so  closely  that  I  should  not  have 
thought  it  was  one  of  Nature's  most  wonderful  pro- 
ducts. A  pamphlet  informed  me  that  the  Gettysbur-^ 
water,  though  "  in  no  way  distinguishable  from  that 
found  in  our  domestic  springs  and  wells,  except  by 
its  effects  on  the  diseased  human  system,"  possesses 
miraculous  properties.  It  is  said  to  bo  "  pre-emi- 
nently the  medicine  for  childhood  and  old  age;" 
"the  '  "idenco  on  this  subject  would  go  fai'  toward 
verifying  one  of  the  oldest  traditions  connected  with 
this  Continent,  which  is  that  there  existed  upon  it  a 
youth-restoring  spring."  Thus  1  had  unconsciously 
taken  a  drauo-ht  at  tlio  Fountain  of  Youth,  for  which 
Vonce  do  Leon  and  his  followers  vainly  sought  in 
the  glades  of  Florida  ;  unfortunately,  1  felt  neither 
younger  nor  stronger  after  swallowing  the  precious 
hevenige  than  1  did  before  I  had  even  read  its  luime. 

'  Frank  Leslie's  llluslrulcd Neu:si)<ii<ir,  i)lh  SeptenibtT,  icS70. 


•'y:'  i 


)■'  ! 


J      ! 


• .  i 


«1 


^m 


MiA 


104 


COLUMinA    AND    CANADA. 


The  circulars  i^ivcn  away  by  foreign  exhibitors 
were  not  such  extraordinary  specimens  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  as  Ihave  received  in  other  Exhibitions. 
I  reprint  as  a  foot-note  the  most  curious  one  that 
I  met  with.' 

A  form  of  advertising,  very  common  in  other 
Exhibitions,  was  less  frequently  practised  here. 
This  was  the  gratis  distribution  of  samples.  One 
enthusiast  gave  away  specimens  of  honey  which  had 
the  advantage,  in  his  opinion,  of  having  been  pro- 
duced without  the  intervention  or  aid  of  an  insect ; 
those  persons  who  tasted  it  preferred  the  natural 
product  of  the  busy  bee.  A  firm  had  a  small  oven 
in  the  Agricultural  Hall  wherein  they  baked  small 
cakes  to  show  the  excellence  of  their  baking  powder 
and  flour;  the  demand  for  these  cakes  taxed  the 
utmost  energies  of  the  makers.     Another  firm  in  the 

*  "  Vegetable,  animal,  ydrofuga  paper.  Air  water  and  grease 
liglit,  transparent,  strong  and  flexible,  invented  and  maniftictured 
bj'-  Professor  N.  Vallini,  Clieniist  in  the  lio3'al  University  of 
Jiologna  (Italy),  invention  of  the  past  year  1S75.  This  papeu  for 
its  worth,  can  doubtless  be  useful  to  many  and  dill'orent  applications 
in  industry  and  trade.  For  its  strength,  flexibility,  and  imper- 
meability it  supplies  all  common  packing-cloth.  For  involving 
sidted  meats  and  victuals  for  land  and  sea  troops,  and  all  what  is 
necessary  in  maratime  transports.  In  medicine  and  surgery,  pro- 
tecting sores  and  wounds  from  the  contact  of  air,  such  as  anti- 
reumatic,  and  for  maladies  of  the  skin,  &c.  Its  transparent 
cpialities  serve  for  transcribing  drawings  of  every  kind,  and  sur- 
rogating glass  Avhen  it  is  necessary,  against  the  direct  action  of  the 
solar  liglit.  Also  its  impermeability  from  grease,  can  be  used  for 
parfumery  in  packing  cosmetics,  pommatum,  covering  vases  of 
essences,  &c.  Finally,  in  the  hat  business  for  lining,  either  for 
hats  or  for  bonnets,  price  7of.  500  sheets,  of  centimeter  50  by 
75."  This  paper  may  be  really  as  ix'markable  as  the  circular 
which  furnishes  such,  a  lucid  description  of  it  ;  yet  it  bears  a  close 
resemblance  to  the  uilcd  paper  which  is  no  novelty  in  this  country. 


THE    INTERN ATIONAJ.    EXHIBITION. 


105 


same  Hall  gave  away  miniature  pails  made  of  tinned 
iron.  These  pails  were  as  useless  as  the  toy  pots 
and  pans  which  amuse  very  little  children,  yet  a 
crowd  besieged  the  place  where  they  were  distri- 
buted, each  person  struggling  violently  to  procure 
one,  and  wearing  it  as  a  trophy.  Grown-up  children 
of  the  Republic  delight  in  getting  something  without 
paying  for  it,  as  much  as  less  enlightened  people. 

Visitors  to  Great  Exhibitions  have  always  appeared 
as  intent  upon  dining  sumptuously  and  drinking 
copiously  as  upon  improving  their  minds,  and  the 
visitors  to  the  International  Exhibition  in  Fairmount 
Park  were  not  exceptions  to  this  rule.  The  arrange- 
ments for  supplying  the  hungry  and  thirsty  were  on 
a  very  large  scale,  and  in  this  respect  the  Exhibition 
was  quite  on  a  par  with  those  held  in  London,  Paris, 
and  Vienna.  There  was  a  French  restaurant,  where 
the  visitor  could  fancy  himself  in  Paris,  not  only  when 
eating  his  cutlets  and  drinking  his  claret,  but  also 
when  paying  the  bill.  A  German  restaurant  sup- 
plied the  delicacies  of  the  Fatherland.  An  American 
restaurant  provided  every  comestible  for  which  there 
was  a  demand.  Those  persons  who  liked  the  homely 
])ork  and  beans  of  New  England  could  dine  upon 
them  in  a  New  England  kitchen  ;  a  Frenchman  wlio, 
being  determined  to  try  everything,  made  the  ex- 
periment of  tasting  this  national  dish,  assured  me 
tliat  he  had  never  suffered  so  much  since  the  time 
wlien  he  tasted  hao'fyis  in  Scotland.  A  Vienna 
bakery  supplied  the  delicious  rolls  for  which  Vienna 
is  famous,  and  coffee  not  less  delightful,  far  better 
indeed  than  that  which  could  be  obtained  in  a 
Tunisian  cafe  not  far  off.  The  list  of  all  the  places 
at    which   people    could    (}uench     their    thirst    ar.d 


'^^"^Tfl 

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COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


ill 


'        1 


appease  their  hunger  would  occupy  too  much  space ; 
I  shall  name  but  one  more,  which  was  generally  called 
the  *'  Dairy,"  but  of  which  the  official  name  was  The 
Dairy  Association  Building.  It  was  a  building  in  a 
rustic  style,  wherein  milk,  cream,  butter-milk,  fruit, 
cakes,  bread,  and  butter  were  sold  and  consumed. 
On  the  bill  of  fare  there  was  a  new  article  of  diet  said 
to  possess  extraordinary  merits.  Its  use  by  the 
ailing  would  cure  them  more  certainly  than  the  most 
successful  medicine ;  its  use  by  the  robust  would  in- 
sure them  against  sickness  ;  in  short,  when  I  read  the 
recommendations  of  this  new  eatable  I  fancied  that 
an  incalculable  boon  had  been  conferred  upon  the 
human  race.  The  name  of  this  precious  novelty  is 
avena.  For  some  years  the  food  itself  has  been  used 
in  Scotland  under  the  name  of  oatmeal.  Whether 
those  persons  who  are  unable  to  appreciate  porridge 
will  eat  avena  pudding  with  pleasure  I  cannot  tell, 
but  if  they  shall  do  so  then  it  will  be  clear  that  there 
is  something  in  a  name.  Perhaj)S  Dr.  Johnson 
would  have  treated  oats  with  less  contempt  had  he 
known  them  by  their  Latin  designation  only.  The 
lovers  of  statistics  may  be  pleased  to  learn  that, 
during  the  six  months  the  Exhibition  was  open,  five 
of  the  restaurants  sold  upwards  of  400  tons  of 
bread,  400  tons  of  beef,  ham,  and  poultry ;  20  tons 
of  fresh  fish,  and  upwards  of  400,000  gallons  of 
beer.  If  complete  tables  were  compiled  of  the  work 
of  the  refreshment  department,  it  would  appear  that 
the  International  Exhibition  at  Philadelphia  had 
been  an  unrivalled  theatre  for  the  exercise  of  one 
form  of  human  industry. 


107 


VI. 


rniLADELPHIA   DURING  THE    EXHIBITION. 


One  evening,  whilst  seated  in  the  smoking-room  of 
the  Colonnade  Hotel,  I  heard  the  strains  of  martial 
music.  This  was  so  common  a  pleasure  that  it  did 
not  excite  in  me  any  curiosity  about  tlie  cause,  the 
city  of  Brotherly  Love  having  been  the  daily  scene 
of  semi-military  processions  headed  by  at  least  one 
brass  band.  On  the  present  occasion,  however, 
the  procession  marched  into  the  Colonnade  Hotel 
instead  of  passing  along  Chesnut  Street ;  the  band 
which  preceded  it  came  to  a  halt,  without  ceasing  to 
play,  in  the  entrance  hall.  For  upwards  of  an  hour 
this  band  made  the  whole  building  resound  with 
melodies,  which  appeared  to  give  extreme  delight  to 
the  coloured  waiters.  Having  exhausted  their  pro- 
gramme or  their  strength,  the  musicians  marched 
off  in  single  file  through  the  bar-room  to  the  street, 
pausing  on  their  way  to  swallow  the  drinks  which 
were  freely  offered  to  them.  Before  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  had  elapsed  another  band  arrived;  after  having 
made  as  much  discord  as  its  predecessor,  it  departed 
in  the  same  dignified  and  measured  style  through  the 
bar-room.  A  third  band  next  appeared  and  kept  the 
occupants  of  the  hotel  thoroughly  excited  till  the 
night  was  far  spent. 


:J    1:1' 


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■!l:  ,■ 


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■■  II 
ll 


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108 


COI.UMr.lA    AND    CANADA. 


The  monibcrs  of  tlic  procoBsion  then  strove,  with 
])erfect  success,  to  render  the  remainder  of  the  night 
hideous  by  yelling  and  shouting;  they,  too,  paid 
fre(iuent  visits  to  the  bar-room  ;  but,  unhai)pily,  they 
returned  into  the  hotel  instead  of  disappearing,  like 
the  bands,  into  the  street.  Before  their  arrival,  the 
400  beds  in  the  hotel  had  been  occupied,  yet  make- 
shift accommodation  for  an  additional  300  persons 
was  provided  by  the  proprietors,  who  were  radiant 
with  satisfaction  at  this  influx  of  distinguished 
visitors.  For  three  days  and  nights  did  the  new- 
comers crowd  the  hotel;  during  that  time,  the 
peaceful  occupants  were  regaled  witli  military  music 
till  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed,  and  then  kept  awake, 
till  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  by  sounds  of 
revelry  in  the  corridors.  Other  hotels  were  favoured 
in  the  same  way.  Nor  was  it  easy  to  escape  from 
the  din  by  going  into  the  open  air.  At  least  one 
procession  and  three  bands  imparted  animation  to 
the  principal  thoroughfares  by  day  and  night.  The 
energy  expended  by  all  concerned  must  have  been 
enormous.  None  seemed  to  care  about  taking  rest 
or  even  taking  food;  whisky,  music,  and  march- 
ing sufficed  for  their  wants.  Now  and  then, 
however,  the  human  frame  could  not  bear  this 
strain  upon  it ;  those  persons  who  had  been  over- 
powered by  the  whisky,  the  music,  or  the  march- 
ing, were  tenderly  carried  to  their  rooms  by  their 
comrades,  and  laid  upon  their  beds.  These  visitors 
Avere  members  of  Encampments  of  the  United  States 
Order  of  Knights  Templar,  and  they  had  chosen 
Philadelphia  as  the  place  for  their  annual  gathering 
in  187G.     They  numbered  8500. 

The  spectacle  was  alike  novel  and  sensational ;  I 


niiLAnRLrriiA  durfxc  tiii;  KXiimrnox. 


100 


liiul  never  before  seen  a  Kiiiii^lit  Templar,  clotlied  and 
ill  his  i'i<(lit  iiiiiid,  walking  alonf^  a  public  street,  nor 
had  I  ever  before  wittingly  slept,  or  tried  to  sleep 
under  the  same  roof  with  one.  There  are  several 
Knoampments  in  the  Uiuted  Kingdom,  upwards  of 
a  lumdred  being  registered  under  tbe  Grand 
('Onclave  of  the  United  Religious  and  Military 
Orders  of  tlie  Temple,  and  of  8t.  John  of  Jerusalem, 
I'alestine,  Rhodes,  and  INIalta.  The  Prince  of 
Wales  is  Grand  Master  of  this  body.  It  gives 
pleasure  to  many  loyal  and  rational  subjects  of  (^ueen 
Victoria  to  meet  at  stated  times  in  private  rooms, 
arrogate  to  themselves  the  titles  of  Knights,  and 
clothe  themselves  in  garments  Avhich  they  would  be 
ashamed  to  wear,  in  the  presence  of  their  non- masonic 
friends,  on  any  more  serious  occasion  than  a  fancy 
dross  ball.  But  they  are  careful  to  do  these  things 
in  a  corner ;  they  would  as  soon  think  of  holding  an 
Encampment  in  a  balloon  as  of  amusing  themselves 
by  perambulating  the  streets  in  the  full  dress  of  their 
Order.  Indeed,  Freemasons  in  the  United  Kingdom 
eschew  all  superfluous  display ;  their  brethren  \v  +ho 
United  States  appear  to  think  it  the  most  natural 
thino:  in  the  world  that  members  of  secret  societies 
should  parade  in  the  light  of  day.  As  a  Past-Master 
of  one  of  the  oldest  lodges  in  the  world,  I  ought  to 
have  some  acquaintance  with  Freemasonry,  and  I 
certainly  have  a  greater  respect  for  its  tenets  and 
principles  than  is  manifested  by  His  Holiness  the 
Pope,  yet  I  cannot  regard  these  public  appearances 
as  in  accordance  with  the  objects  of  the  Craft. 
Many  Masons,  with  Avhom  I  conversed  in  Philadelphia, 
were  so  irreverent  as  to  characterize  the  Knight 
Templar  degree  as  a  piece  of  tomfoolery,  designed 


]\\ 

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no 


rOTiUMHIA    AND    TANAPA. 


to  gratify  those  brctliron  who  arc  weak  enoiigli  to  set 
store  upon  forms  witliout  inoaning,  and  titles  witli- 
out  seiiso.  Tlic'se  are  harsh  sayings  with  which,  of 
course,  I  liave  no  sympathy.  The  innocent  pastimes 
of  men  who  are  supposed  to  have  attained  the  age  of 
discretion  ought  to  be  respected,  and  a  man  might  do 
worse  than  try  to  phiy  the  mediiuval  part  of  a  Kniglit 
Temphir.  He  miglit  become  a  CarHst,  a  Communist, 
or  a  Fenian,  and  thereby  prove  a  greater  terror  to 
law-respecting  citizens  than  the  most  enthusiastic 
Sir  Knight. 

Tbougn  the  Knights  Templar  who  thronged  the 
streets  and  hotels  of  Philadelphia  liad  swords  at 
their  sides,  as  well  as  cocked  hats  on  their  heads, 
yet  they  had  the  reverse  of  a  bellicose  aspect,  and 
they  seemed  much  more  addicted  to  the  worship  of 
Bacchus  than  disposed  for  the  service  of  Mars.  No 
one  whose  knowledge  of  the  Order  is  gathered  from 
the  TaUsman  would  suspect  any  of  these  hilarious 
Knights  Templar  of  deserving  the  denunciation 
levelled  against  those  who  went  to  the  Holy  Land, 
"  Their  peace  is  war,  and  their  faith  is  falsehood," 
nor  is  it  probable  that  their  Grand  Master  coidd 
even  in  imagination  perpetrate  the  villainy  for  which 
Saladin  cut  off  the  head  of  Grand  Master  Sir  Giles 
Amaury  Yet  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that  they 
were  simple  citizens  of  the  Republic,  so  grand  was 
their  appearance,  and  so  proud  did  they  seem  of  their 
fine  clothes.  As  a  rule,  there  is  no  more  soberly 
dressed  person  than  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
A  paternal  Congress  has  forbidden  a  civilian  to  in- 
dulge in  the  vanity  known  in  Europe  as  court  costume, 
and  has  enjoined  that,  when  he  attends  a  foreign 
Court,  he  shall  wear  ordinary  evening  dress.     No 


rniLADEMMHA    nUKTNn   THE   EXnilUTION. 


Ill 


restriction,  however,  is  put  upon  the  citizen  donniuf^ 
any  kind  of  miHtary  uniform  lio  pleases,  and  tliis  i.s 
said  to  be  one  of  the  reasons  why  tlio  order  of 
i\niL(lits  Templar  is  attractive;  and  ])()pnlar  in  the 
lltiited  States.  Its  members  have  tlu>  further 
ui-atitication  of  readin<x  their  names,  with  iiaiullcs  to 
tlicni,  in  the  newspapers;  and  when  i)lain  Browti, 
Jones,  and  Robinson  see  themselves  in  pi'int  as  Sir 
John  Brown,  Sir  Thomas  Jones,  Sir  Joseph  llobinson, 
they  may  experience  tho  satisfaction  of  men  who  have 
made  their  mark. 

Till  I  beheld  these  Knights  Templar,  I  had  nen'or 
realized  the  effect  produced  by  entire  regiments  clad 
in  the  uniforms  of  general  officers  of  tho  Grand 
Duchy  of  Gerolstein.  With  cocked  uits  adorned 
with  feathers  upon  their  heads,  embroidered  trousers 
on  lieir  legs,  tunics  round  their  bodies,  their  breasts 
))eing  as  thickly  covered  with  ribbons  and  medals 
as  the  breasts  of  officers  in  the  service  of  the 
Prince  of  Monaco,  and  with  swords  in  their  hands 
resembling  the  toy  swords  of  children,  these  Sir 
Knights  appeared  to  tho  simple-minded  a  splendid 
spectacle,  and  to  the  critic  a  set  of  guys.  Many  of 
them  had  wives,  and  their  wives  wore  ribbons  and 
medals  also.  The  citizens  of  Philadelphia  derived 
much  enjoyment  from  the  pageant ;  not  a  complaint 
was  made  when  traffic  was  suspended  for  several 
hours  on  tho  day  of  the  grand  procession.  The 
proceedings  at  the  meeting  for  the  despatch  of  busi- 
ness were  reported  in  the  newspapers,  the  speeches 
being  as  full  of  self -laudation  as  space  and  time 
would  permit.  Tl  "^  Knights  Templar  appeared  to 
be  thoroughly  pie?  sed  with  themselves  and  the 
world  at  large  ;  many  of  them  assured  me  that  they 


li!| 


i 


'.  ,  ! 


If 


-j-r- 


Miili 


112 


COLQMRIA    AND    CANADA. 


liiid  expcric'iiCGd  "  a  real  good  time."  I  saw  them 
leave  the  city,  without  deeply  regretting  that  their 
stay  had  l)een  so  short.  In  the  bar-room  of  the 
Colonnade  Hotel  business  was  very  dull  after  tlieir 
departure,  but  peace  reigned  in  the  hall  and  corri- 
dors at  night,  and  sweet  sleep  returned  to  many  a 
pillow. 

An  invitation  to  attend  the  seventh  annual  re- 
union of  the  Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
came  to  mo  shortly  after  tlie  Knights  Templar  had 
evacuated  Philadelphia.  The  place  of  meeting  was 
the  Academy  of  Music,  or,  wc  should  call  it,  the 
Opera  House.  In  the  pit  were  the  ordinary  mem- 
bers of  the  society ;  on  the  stage  were  general 
officers,  while  spectators  occupied  the  other  parts 
of  the  house.  The  space  in  front  of  the  galleries 
was  decorated  with  flags  and  artificial  flowers; 
a  scone  representing  the  headquarters  of  the  army 
was  presented  on  the  stage ;  two  tents  appeared  in 
the  background ;  two  field-pieces  were  conspicuous 
in  the  foreground,  wdiere  arms  were  stacked  and 
drums  piled  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid.  The  head- 
quarters' flag  of  this  army,  having  a  lilac  ground 
and  a  golden  eagle  encircled  with  a  laurel  wreath  in 
the  centre,  hung  in  front  of  tlie  tents.  Nothing  was 
wanting  to  recall  the  memories  of  the  camp  and  the 
battle-field.  General  Hancock  presided.  He  was 
in  undress  uniform ;  with  three  exceptions  the  other 
general  officers,  as  well  as  the  officers  of  lower  rank, 
were  in  plain  clothes.  Two  Russian  officers  who 
were  among  the  invited  guests  appeared  in  full  uni- 
form, as  did  a  Lieutenant-General  in  the  Japanese 
arm}'.  Indeed,  the  wliole  gathering  was  much  less 
martial,  from  the  tailor's  point  of   view,  than  the 


rinLAUELPHIA    DURINfJ   Till-:    hXinfUTION'. 


113 


i  '■■) 


wreath  in 


gathering  of  Knights  Templar.  But  this  was  an 
assemblage  of  veterans,  and  old  soldiers  do  not 
require  to  appear  in  uniform  in  order  to  produce  an 
impression. 

Tall,  portly,  and  soldier-like  in  every  respect. 
General  Hancock  seemed  well  fitted  for  presiding 
over  sucli  a  meeting ;  his  military  claims  to  respect 
perfectly  tally  with  those  which  are  but  accidents  of 
nature.  The  few  words  with  which  he  opened  the 
proceedings  were  in  excellent  taste,  and  they  were 
uttered  in  a  most  effective  manner.  By  reproducing 
them,  I  shall  be  spared  adding  anything  in  explana- 
tion of  the  Society's  object: — "  We  are  assembled  hero 
to-day,  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  re-union  of  our 
Society,  to  renew  and  cement  friendships  formed  on 
the  field  of  battle,  to  inquire  as  to  the  welfare  of 
absent  comrades,  to  determine  the  gaps  made  in  our 
ranks  by  time,  and  to  inaugurate  such  measures  as 
may  be  possible  or  necessary  to  aid  worthy  comrades 
in  distress,  or  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased 
comrades,  who  niay  require  our  assistance.  We 
liave  no  other  purpose  in  meeting  liere.  Hero  poli- 
tics enter  not,  either  to  distract  or  disturb.  We 
meet  simply  as  brothers,  who  are  linked  together  in 
affection  through  memories  of  the  past,  by  common 
dangers  incurred,  gloi'ies  gained,  privations  suffered, 
and  hardships  endured  ;  and  I  am  thankful  that  I  am 
permitted  to  be  present  with  you,  and  that  the  privi- 
lege of  calling  to  order  this  meethig  of  my  old  com- 
rades devolves  upon  mo.  But  before  proceeding 
with  the  exercises  of  this  occasion  it  is  proper  that 
we  should  return  thanks  to  Almighty  <^Jiod  for  His 
goodness  for  permitting  us  to  be  here  and  in  lu\alth 
to-day."      Thei'eupon   General    Hancock   requested 

I 


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,    1' ' ! 

f 

( 

1 
1 

!■    1.':: 

j.     ,:i: 

f       : 

!i:1l 


'ii 


114 


COLUMIJIA    AND    CANADA. 


the  Rev.  William  M'Vickcr,  chaplain  of  the  cavalry 
corps,  to  offer  up  prayer.  It  would  bo  unseemly  to 
criticize  the  prayer  which  followed,  yet  I  may  bo 
pardoned  for  saying  that  in  my  opinion  it  was  far 
too  long,  ftir  too  rhetorical,  and  sounded  too  much 
like  a  speech.  One  of  the  audience,  to  whom  I  made 
a  remark  to  this  eifect,  seemed  surprised  at  my  sim- 
plicity, informing  me  that,  as  this  was  the  only 
opportunity  the  reverend  gentleman  would  have  of 
speaking,  he  did  quite  right  in  taking  full  advantage 
of  it.  1  was  answered,  but  not  convinced.  The 
]\Iayor  of  Philadelphia,  the  Hon.  W.  S.  Stokley, 
being  introduced  to  the  audience  by  the  Chairman, 
his  Honour  pulled  out  a  piece  of  paper  from  his 
pocket,  put  a  double-eyeglass  on  his  nose,  and  began 
to  read  a  speech.  I  had  thouglit  it  impossible  that  any 
citizen  could  attain  so  exalted  a  position  without  being 
able  to  speak  with  perfect  fluency,  on  any  subject,  at 
a  moment's  notice.  An  ex-Governor  of  he  State  of 
Illinois  once  told  me  that  nothing  had  struck  him 
more  during  a  visit  to  England  than  the  bad  speak- 
ing of  her  public  men  ;  and  he  modestly  hinted  that, 
had  he  not  been  a  better  speaker  than  any  of  them, 
Mr.  Gladstone,  Mr.  Disraeli,  Mr.  Bright  not  excepted, 
he  would  never  have  achieved  success  amons:  his 
fellow-citizens.  But  the  example  of  Mr.  Stokley. 
to  say  nothing  of  that  set  by  General  Grant,  tells 
against  the  universal  application  of  the  rule  that  a 
ready  tongue  is  indispensable  to  all  ambitious  citizens 
of  the  United  States.  As  a  specimen  of  municipal 
oratory  in  a  Republican  country,  I  shall  add  the 
speech.  If  rather  too  florid  in  diction,  it  had  the 
merit  of  brevity,  and  on  that  account,  probably,  was 
very  well  received  : — "  Soldiers   of  the  Army  of  the 


PHILADELPHIA   DURING   THE    EXHIBITION. 


115 


Potomac ;  as  the  Executive  of  the  city  of  Philadel- 
pliia,  it  affords  me  pleasure  to  welcome  you  to  our 
city,  and  extend  to  you  its  hospitalities  upon  the 
occasion  of  the  seventh  annual  re-union  of  your 
society.  When  our  land  was  devastated  by  war  and 
the  soldiers  of  the  Republic  were  marching  to  the 
front,  they  were  always  kindly  received  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Philadelphia,  and  their  wants  carec'  for  while 
passing  through  the  city ;  when  sick  and  wounded 
and  in  our  hospitals  they  were  nursed  with  a 
mother's  tenderness  by  our  wives,  sisters,  and 
daughters.  Now  that  all  strife  is  ended,  and  the 
bright  wings  of  peace  are  spread  over  the  land,  we 
extend  to  you,  the  survivors  of  those  who  fought  so 
nobly  and  bravely  to  maintain  the  honour  of  their 
country,  a  right  cordial  welcome,  and  trust  that 
your  stay  among  us  may  be  made  pleasant.  For 
those  of  your  brave  comrades  who  fill  a  hero's  grave 
there  is  a  spot  in  our  memory  which  will  ever 
remain  fresh,  and  over  their  last  resting-place  we 
will  pay  the  homage  of  a  grateful  country  due  to 
those  who  gave  their  lives  in  its  defence."  Here- 
upon the  band  struck  up  "  Hold  the  Fort,"  an  air 
which  seems  to  have  taken  its  place  with  "  Yankee 
Doodle"  and  "  Hail,  Columbia"  among  the  national 
airs  of  the  country. 

The  event  of  the  day  was  now  at  hand ;  the  delivery 
of  an  oration  by  General  Dix,  who  has  a  civic  as 
well  as  a  military  reputation,  having  filled  the  posts, 
among  others,  of  Governor  of  New  York  and  Minister 
to  France.  In  one  of  the  two  sentences  with  which  he 
introduced  General  Dix,  the  Chairman  remarked, 
"  Alike  distinguished  for  his  eminent  civil  services,  his 
scliolarly  attainments,  and  for  his  record  as  a  soldier, 

1  2 


in 

■ . 

1  ! 

\   I        iii 

1   •■• 

a 

iWi 


116 


COLU.Mlil.V    AND    CANADA. 


:  I 


he  has  a  tongue  to  woo  you,  even  if  it  bo  in  Latin  or 
Greek,  and  if  you  should  prove  recreant  as  Hsteners  lie 
has  the  nerve  to  shoot  you  on  the  spot."  Jt  is  for- 
tunate, perhaps,  that  General  Dix  did  not  attempt  to 
enforce  a  Latin  orGrcek  oration  upon  unwilling  ears  in 
the  manner  suggested,  as  he  would  possibly  have  Lad 
more  shooting  to  do  than  he  could  well  perforin. 
Though  advanced  in  years,  having  reached,  if  not 
passed  four  score,  he  yet  spoke  with  the  vigour 
of  a  comparatively  young  man.  He  began  by  say- 
ing that  the  pleasures  of  the  day  "  would  have  been 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  presence  of  the  heroic  com- 
mander by  whom  you  were  led,  and  whose  distin- 
guished military  services  have  been  crowned  by  the 
highest  civic  honours  of  the  Republic."  E.  ery  one 
seemed  to  share  in  the  regret  thus  expressed ;  tho 
presence  of  General  Grant  on  such  an  occasion 
appeared  almost  a  matter  of  course  ;  but  no  explana- 
tion was  given  of  his  absence.  General  Dix  Avent  on 
to  say  that  he  had  undertaken,  at  very  short  notice,  to 
deliver  an  address ;  that,  though  time  had  been 
wanting  "to  go  forth  into  the  field  of  oratory  and 
gather  its  flowers  to  give  colour  and  fragrance  to 
the  occasion,  yet  he  hoped  a  familiar  address  would 
prove  acceptable  instead  of  the  formal  oration  which 
the  audience  had  a  right  to  expect."  Certainly  the 
address,  which  occupied  three-quarters  of  an  hour  in 
delivery,  and  which  was  spoken  by  him  with  scarcely 
a  reference  to  his  notes,  was  a  proof  that  age  had  not 
impaired  either  the  voice  or  memory  of  General  Dix. 
He  reviewed  the  century  during  which  the  nation 
had  existed,  characterizing  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence and  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  as  the 
chief  and  most  pregnant  achievements  of  the  period. 


PIIlLAUELPniA    DURING   TIIK    EXUIBITiON. 


117 


lie  was  most  cmplmtic  in  liis  admiration  of  President 
Lincoln's  proclamation  on  the  ground  that  "  tlio 
emancipation  of  four  millions  of  slaveys,  and  their 
elevation  to  the  rank  of  freemen,  by  a  single  act  of 
Executive  authority,  stands  alone  in  the  annals  of 
our  race."  I  am  glad  that  the  act  does  stand  alone, 
the  worst  part  of  it  was  its  being  as  despotic  in 
character  as  if  it  had  been  a  Russian  ukase  or  a 
decree  signed  with  the  vermilion  pencil  by  the 
Emperor  of  China.  It  would  have  been  more  in 
keeping  with  the  annals  of  the  race,  had  emancipa- 
tion been  the  residt  of  legislation.  Though  General 
Dix  held,  and  rightly  held,  that  the  proclamation 
was  justified  by  the  necessity  of  the  moment,  yet 
this  ought  to  be  a  subject  for  regret  rather  than 
congratulation.  In  his  copious  references  to  the 
achievement  of  Independence  he  never  said  a  word 
about  the  part  played  and  the  assistance  rendered 
by  France,  though  such  a  statement  would  not  only 
have  been  in  good  taste  but  would  have  been  his- 
torically appropriate.  Few  things  are  more  certam 
in  past  history  than  the  fact  that  France  was  the 
joint  founder  of  the  United  States.  To  the  evident 
dehght  of  his  hearers,  he  repeated  a  list  of  the 
improvements  which  had  been  effected  during  the 
first  century  of  the  Republic,  ending  the  recital 
by  saying : — "  A  hundred  years  ago  it  was  the 
work  of  months  to  convey  intelligence  from  ocean  to 
ocean.  Now  a  message  by  telegraph  leaving  here 
at  the  I'ising  of  the  sun  will  outrun  him  in  his 
course,  and  reach  the  Pacific  before  his  rays  have 
liglited  up  the  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  century  wo  were  a  feeble  com- 
munity struggling  for  existence,  and  scarcely  known 


|!| 

i 

1    M 

i    ^ 

i  1 


TT 


118 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


ifiit' 


I.I 


to  the  Great  Powers  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere. 
"We  now  stand  before  the  world  as  their  equal :  and 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  come  as  contributors  to 
the  innumerable  products  of  industry,  sjience,  art, 
taste,  and  genius  which  have  their  exposition  here. 
This  is  the  priceless  inheritance  which  as  soldiers 
you  helped  to  maintain  against  the  open  shock  of 
war.  It  devolves  on  you  now,  by  a  conscientious 
and  enlightened  discharge  of  your  duty  as  good 
citizens,  to  resist  the  insidious  dangers  of  peace — 
the  inroads  of  extravagance,  faithlessness,  and  cor- 
ruption in  private  and  public  life." 

Having  expressed  his  warm  hopes  alike  for  their 
future  welfare  and  for  the  continued  prosperity  of 
the  Union  which  they  had  helped  to  save,  he  sat 
down  amidst  that  form  of  applause,  peculiar  to  the 
United  States,  which  is  described  as  "  three  cheers 
and  a  tiger,"  and  which  may  be  rendered  more  intel- 
ligible to  the  reader,  though  not  more  agreeable  to 
the  listener,  if  called  "  three  cheers  and  a  growl." 

General  Dix  sat  on  the  right  of  the  Chairman ; 
the  seat  on  the  left  was  filled  by  a  gentleman  about 
whom  there  was  much  speculation  among  the  audi- 
ence in  my  neighbourhood.  It  was  rumoured  that 
he  was  a  Southern  General,  and  some  said  that  he 
was  General  Beauregard.  He  appeared  uneasy  and 
out  of  place,  and  this  tended  to  confirm  the  im- 
pression that  he  was  a  Southerner.  When  the 
Chairman  rose  and  introduced  him  as  Mr.  Winter, 
it  was  clear  that  he  was  not  General  Beauregard. 
When  he  took  a  roll  of  manuscript  from  his  pocket, 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  about  to  read  something, 
and,  before  he  began  to  read,  the  audience  learned 
that  he  was  a  poet,  the  Claud  Halcro  of  the  day. 


lilii 


nilLADELPniA    DURING   THE    EXniBITION. 


119 


To  have  been  requested  to  write  a  poem  for  that 
occasion  was,  he  said,  the  greatest  honour  ever  con- 
ferred upon  him.  The  poem  he  had  composed  was 
entitled  "  The  Voice  of  the  Silence ;"  it  set  forth 
the  contrast  between  the  quiet  scenery  of  what  had 
been  the  theatre  of  war  and  the  thoughts  which  re- 
turn to  a  soldier's  mind  of  the  part  he  had  played  in 
the  tented  field.  Tlie  poem,  contains  reminiscences 
of  other  poems  as  well  as  of  battlefields.  Some  of  the 
stanzas  are  well  turned,  yet  too  many  are  but  versified 
rhetoric,  and  this  wearies  the  reader  as  it  did  a  few 
of  the  hearers,  even  though  the  versification  is  not 
devoid  of  harmony  or  the  rhetoric  of  point.  Having 
procured  a  copy  of  the  poem,  I  shall  give  it  entire ;  it  is 
a  favourable  sample  of  the  poems  which  are  provided 
for  the  gratification  of  a  United  States  audience  on 
such  an  occasion  as  the  present.  The  frequency  and 
heartiness  of  the  applause  proved  that  the  officers  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  admired  it : — 


"  Bright  on  tho  sparkling  sward,  tliis 
day, 

Tho  youthful  summer  gleams  ; 
Tiic  roses  in  tho  south  wind  play, 

Tiio  slumberous  woodland  dreams. 
In  goklen   light,   'ncath    clouds    of 
ilet'co. 

Mid  bird-songs  wild  and  free. 
The  blue  Potomac  flows,  iu  peace, 

Down  to  tho  peaceful  sea. 

II. 
"  No  echo  from  the  stormy  past 

Alii ''ins  tho  placid  vale. 
No  caimon  roiir,  nor  trumpet  blast. 

Nor  shatter'd  soldier's  wail. 
There's  nothing    left   to   mark   tho 
strife, 

The  triumph  or  tho  pain, 
Whore  Nature  lo  her  general  life 

Takes  back  our  lives  again." 


HI. 

Yet  in  your  vision  evermoro, 

Beneath  aflrightOLl  skios. 
With  crashof  sound,  with  rook  of  goro, 

Tho  martial  pageant  a  rise. 
Audacious  banners  rend  the  aii", 

Dark  steeds  of  battle  neigh, 
^Vnd  frantic  through  the  sidphiu'ous 
glare. 

Raves  on  tho  ciimsou  fray. 

IV. 

Not  time  nor  chance  nor  change  can 
drown 

Your  ineinorios  proud  and  high, 
Nor  pluck  3'our  starof  greatness  down 

From  glory's  dealhless  sky. 
For  evermore  your  fame  shiU  bide— 

Your  valour  tried  and  true  ! 
And  that  whicli  nv.ikos  your  country's 
pride 

Jlay  well  be  pride  to  you  ! 


11^ 


120 


("OLDMIUA    AND    CANADA. 


ifM': 


V. 

For  over  through  tlio  sold  ior'a  thought 
The  solilicr'H  \\?(\  rcturriB — 

Or  wlicro  tho  triiniplud  fiolils  nxo 
foufjht, 

Or  where  tho  camp-firo  bums. 

For  him  tho  pomp  of  iiiornint^  brings 
A  thrill  iiono  clso  can  know, 

For  him  Nij^ht  waves  her  sabio  wings 

O'or  many  a  nainoloss  woo. 

VI. 

IIow  often  face  to  face  with  death 
In  Htorn  snspGnso  he  stood, 
Whilo  bird    and    insect   lield  their 
breath 

Within  tho  ambush'd  wood  ! 
Again  he  sees  tho  silent  hills 

With  dangor'.s  menace  grim  ; 
And  darkly  all  tho  shuddering  rills 

Run  red  with  blood  for  him. 

VII. 

For  him  the  cruel  sun  of  noon 

Glares  on  a  bristling  plain  ; 
For  him  the  cold,  disdainful  moon 

Lights  meadows  rough  witii  slain. 
There's  death  in  every  sight  ho  sees. 

In  every  sound  ho  hoars  ; 
And  sunset  hush  and  evening  breeze 

Are  sad  with  prison'd  tears. 

VIII. 

Again  worn  out  in  midnight  march 

Uo  sinks  beside  tho  track  ; 
Again  beneath  the  pitying  arch 

Ilis  dreams  of  1  onio  come  back  ; 
In  morning  wind  tho  roses  shake 

Around  his  cottage  door, 
And  little  feet  of  children  make 

Their  music  on  the  floor. 

IX. 

The  tones  that  never  more  on  earth 

Can  bid  his  pulses  leap 
Ring  out  again  in  careless  mirth 

Across  tho  vales  of  sloep  ; 
And  where  in  horrent  splendour  roll 

Tho  waves  of  vict'ry's  tide. 
The  cherish'd  conn-adcs  of  his  soul 

Are  glorious  at  his  sido  ! 


X. 

Forget !  tho  arm  may  lose  its  might, 

The  tired  heart  beat  low, 
Tho   sun    from  heaven  blot  out  hia 
light. 

The  west  wind  cense  to  blow. 
But  whilo  ono  spark  of  life  is  warm 

Within  this  mould  of  clay, 
Ilis  soul  shall  revel  in  tho  storm 

Of  that  tremendous  day  ! 

XI. 

On  mountain  slope,  in  lonoly  glen, 
By  Fate's  supremo  command, 

Tho  blood  of  those  devoted  men 
Has  sanctified  this  land. 

Tho  funeral  moss — but  not  in  grief- 
Waves  o'er  their  hallow'd  rest, 

And  not  in  grief  tho  laurol  leaf 
Drops  on  tho  hero's  breast. 

XII. 

Tears  for  tho  living,  when  God's  gilt — 

The  friend  of  man  to  be — 
Wastes,  like  the  shattor'd  spai-s  that 
drift 

Upon  tho  unknown  sea  ! 
Tears  for  the  wreck  who  sinks  at  last, 

No  deed  of  valour  done ; 
But  no  tears  for  the  soul  that  ])ast 

Whou  honour's  fight  was  won. 

XIII. 

Ho  takes  tho  hand  of  Heavenly  Fate 
Who  lives  and  dies  for  truth  ! 

For  him  tho  holy  angels  wait 
In  realms  of  endless  youth ! 

The  grass  upon  his  grave  is  green 
With  everlasting  bloom ; 

And  love  and   blessings   make   the 
sheen 

Of  glory  round  his  tomb. 

XIV. 

Mourn  not  for  them,  the  loved  and 
gone  ! 

The  cause  thoy  died  to  save 
Plants  an  eternal  corner-stone 

Upon  the  martyr's  grave  : 


-■ >' 


PIIlLADELriUA    DUUINO   THE    EXHiniTION. 


121 


And,  snfo  from  all  tlio  ills  wo  pass, 
Tlioir  slc^oj)  is  sweet  ami  low, 

'Noiitli  rcquioius  of  tiio  niurinuriug 
grass 
And  dirges  of  the  snow. 

XV. 

That  sunsot  wafts  its  holiest  kiss 
Through    oveuing's    gathering 
shades, 
That  beauty  breaks  tho  heart  with 
bliss 
The  hour  before  it  fades. 
That  music  seems  to  merge  with 
heaven 
Just  when  its  echo  dies, 
Is  nature's  sacred  promise  given 
Of  life  beyond  the  skies. 

XVI. 

Mourn  not !    In  life  and  death  they 
teach 

This  thought,  this  truth,  sublime  : 
There's  no  man  free  cxce])t  ho  reach 

Beyond  tho  verge  of  time  ! 
So,  beckoning  up  the  starry  slope, 

They  bid  our  souls  to  live ; 
And,   flooding   all    tho    world   with 
hope, 

Ilavo  taught  us  to  forgive. 

XVII. 

No  soldier  spurns  a  fiillon  foe  ! 

No  hate  of  human  kind 
Can  darken  down  tho  generous  glow 

That  fires  the  patriot  mind  ! 


But  lovo  shall  make  tho  vanquish'd 
strong. 
And  mercy  lift  their  ban, 
Where  right  no  more  can  bend  to 
wrong, 
Nor  man  bo  slave  to  man. 

xviii. 
So  from  their  qtiiot  graves  they  speak 

So  speaks  that  qiiiot  scone — 
Where  now  tho  violets  blossom,  meek, 

And  all  tho  fields  are  green. 
There  wood  and  stream  and  flower 
and  bud 
A  pure  content  declare, 
And  whore  tho  voice  of  war  was 
heard, 
Is  hoard  tho  voice  of  prayer. 

XIX. 

Onco  more  in  perfect  lovo,  O  Lord, 

Our  alion'd  hearts  unite  ! 
And  clasp  across  the  broken  sword 

Tho  hands  that  used  to  smitu  ! 
And  since  beside  Potomac's  wave 

There's  nothing  left  but  peace, 
Bo  fili'd  at  last  tho  open  grave. 

And  let  tho  sorrow  cease  ! 

XX. 

Sweet  from  tho  pitying  northeni  pines 

Their  loving  whisper  flows, 
And  sweetly  whore  the  orange  shines 

The  palm-tree  woos  tho  rose ! 
Ah  !  let  that  tender  music  run 

O'er  all  tho  years  to  bo, 
AndThygroat  blessing  makous  one — 

And  make  us  one  with  Thoe. 


Mr.  "Winter,  w^ho  is  tlie  dramatic  critic  of  the  New 
Yorh  Tribune,  fully  understands  the  value  of  his- 
trionic display  when  reciting  a  number  of  verses ; 
the  clearness  of  his  enunciation  and  the  propriety 
of  his  gestures  caused  his  composition  to  produce 
its  full  effect.  He  was  congratulated  by  the  Chair- 
man and  others  on  returning  to  his  seat ;  he  had 
the  gratification  of  hearing  General  Sherman  refer 


I 


122 


COLUMRIA   AND   CANADA. 


1 

1 

more  than  onco  to  liis  beautiful  "  pome,"  while  on 
the  following  day,  he  might  have  been  pleased  still 
more  by  reading  in  a  leading  article  of  the  Phila- 
dclphla  Press,  "  The  flowers  of  the  meeting  were 
furnished  by  Mr.  William  "Winter,  whoso  poem  was 
as  tender  and  soul-stirring  as  the  memories  that 
bind  the  veterans  together.  Yesterday's  effort  ad- 
vances him  high  in  the  ranks  of  American  poets." 

The  formal  proceedings  of  the  day  were  over,  but 
the  officers  in  the  pit  had  determined  to  have  moi-e 
speeches  from  the  Generals  on  the  stage ;  in  response 
to  their  demands  General  Sherman  reluctantly  rose 
and  advanced  to  the  foot-lights.  Upwards  of  six 
feet  in  height  and  spare  of  frame,  he  bears  a  con- 
siderable resemblance  to  Field  Marshal  von  Moltkc. 
The  latter,  however,  is  more  prim  in  his  attire,  and, 
though  a  much  older  man,  has  a  more  youthful  bear- 
ing. Thanking  the  audience  for  the  compliment 
they  had  paid  him.  General  Sherman  said  that  he 
had  no  speech  to  make ;  then  he  went  on  to  give 
some  practical  hints  and  to  make  a  statement  which 
was  historically  inaccurate.  I  will  dispose  of  the  latter 
before  summarizing  the  former.  Referring  to  wliat 
General  Dix  had  said  in  his  oration,  to  the  effect 
that  Great  Britain  was  primarily  responsible  for 
slavery  in  the  Southern  States,  he  added  that  this 
was  specially  true  of  Georgia,  where  the  Court  of 
Great  Britain  introduced  slavery,  contrary  to  the 
declared  wishes  of  the  Colonists.  If  General  Sher- 
man had  read  the  first  volume  of  Mr.  Force's  Tracts, 
he  would  have  learned  that  the  Colonists  in  Georofia 
had  two  grievances,  the  first  being  that  regulations 
had  been  made  rendering  it  difficult  for  them  to 
procure  ardent  spirits,  the  second  being  that  they 


1  ! 


rniLADELniiA  during  the  exhibition. 


123 


found  it  impossible  to  obtain  the  services  of  negro 
slaves.  The  truth  is,  General  Oglethorpe,  the 
founder  of  Georgia,  had  resolved  that  slavery 
should  not  exist  there  with  his  consent.  When  he  left 
tliG  Colony,  the  inhabitants,  in  concert  with  the 
planters  of  South  Carolina,  determined  that  slavery 
should  be  introduced,  and  they  succeeded  in  their  ill- 
om'^ied  project.  Great  Britain  had  neither  part  nor 
lot  in  introducing  slavery  into  Georgia.'  The  practi- 
cal hints  were  in  substance  that  it  was  a  mere 
chance  which  made  his  hearers  and  himself  officers 
in  the  Union  army,  and  that,  had  they  been  born  in 
the  South,  they  would  have  worn  the  grey  instead  of 
the  blue.  For  his  own  part,  he  had  much  sympathy 
with  Georgia,  having  been  largely  repaid  for  what 
lie  had  done  in  that  State.  He  hoped  that  bygones 
would  be  forgotten,  and  a  friendly  feeling  cultivated 
towards  those  who  had  once  been  enemies,  provided 
that  their  former  enemies  would  demean  themselves 
so  as  to  merit  kindly  treatment.  Not  a  sentence 
uttered  by  General  Sherman  betrayed  the  practised 
speaker,  yet  at  this  point  he  produced  an  effect  such 
as  Burke  aimed  at  when  he  threw  a  dagger  on  the 
floor  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and  Brougham  ex- 
pected to  achieve  when  he  fell  on  his  knees  in  the 

'  Generals  Dix  and  Sherman  ought  to  have  been  familiar  with 
tlie  writings,  wherein  many  of  the  first  emigrants  from  Georgia, 
setting  forth  their  grievances,  tell  how  they  had  left  a  land,  which 
was  uninhabitable,  for  South  Carolina,  which  they  designate  "  a 
land  of  liberty,"  because  white  men  were  permitted  to  keep  slaves 
there,  and  wherein  they  say  the  grievance  of  the  settlers  in 
Georgia  against  the  authorities  in  England,  "  is  the  denying  the 
use  of  negroes,  and  persisting  in  such  denial  after,  by  repeated 
iipplications,  we  had  humbly  demonstrated  the  impossibility  of 
making  improvement  to  any  advantage  with  white  servants." 


HI 


it 


1 

i' 

TT 


121. 


COLUMUfA    AND   CANADA. 


Ilouso  of  Lords,  and  implored  the  Peers  not  to 
rcj(>ct  the  Reform  Bill.  Referring  to  the  ])ossil)ility 
of  bi'otherly  love  not  being  manifested  by  the 
Southerners  in  return  for  the  forgiveness  of  the 
Northerners,  ho  said,  should  tliey  })rove  not  only 
recaleitrant  but  rebellious,  then  "  that's  the  thing," 
])ausing  for  a  moment,  and  })ointing  Avith  his  left 
hand  to  two  fieUl-pieces  at  the  side  of  the  stage. 
The  words  and  the  gesture  were  eloquent  above 
anything  I  have  ever  witnesssed ;  the  audience 
eheered  for  several  minutes.  Had  General  Sherman 
been  the  first  of  living  orators,  he  could  not  liave 
[)roduced  a  greater  oratorical  hit.  I  was  surprised 
not  to  find  any  mention  of  this  incident  in  the 
newspaper  reports ;  but  I  was  quite  prepared  to 
learn  it  had  been  currently  reported  that  General 
Sherman  had  made  a  very  belligerent  speech. 

General  Sheridan,  who  was  next  called  for,  said 
a  few  words.  If  General  Sherman  reminded  me  of 
Field  Marshal  von  Moltke,General  Sheridan  reminded 
me  still  more  strongly  of  ex-]\Iarshal  Ba/aine.  Had 
his  hair  been  grey  instead  of  black,  and  had  he  been 
rather  more  corpulent,  he  would  have  been  the 
living  image  of  the  Frenchman.  Wearing  iiis 
uniform  with  a  jauntiness  which  contrasted  with 
the  slovenliness  of  Ganeral  Sherman,  he  seemed 
every  inch  a  soldiei-.  General  Sheridan  told  the 
audience  that,  though  a  charitable  man,  he  did  not 
care  to  be  precipitate  in  holding  out  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship  to  his  foes,  preferring  that  they  should 
make  the  first  advance,  and  should  be  much  more 
humble-minded  than  the  Southerners  appeared  to 
be.  It  was  easy  to  gather  from  his  manner,  as  well 
as   his    words,  that   he   was    not    only   ready,  but 


rmi-ADrLPriiA  durinc  tiik  kxiiiiui'iox. 


125 


(losirous,  to  tjiku  tlio  \\v\d  w^ixm  with  tliu  Army  of 
(ll(^  Potoiiiiic. 

Several  otlicr  Generals  liad  to  come  to  the  front 
ill  response  to  calls.  ]\[ost  of  tliem  made  an  a))olo<ry 
{'{)]'  liavini^  notl\ini(  to  say,  and  tluMi  said  sometliinuf 
wliicli  proved  that  tlu^y  had  sjjokcn  honestly.  One 
wlio  leisurely  contented  himself  with  niakinu;  a  how, 
was  applauded  as  warmly  as  if  he  had  spoken  a  few 
commonplaces.  The  most  coy  was  General  llar- 
traid't,  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  Ho  was 
tlien  one  of  the  candidates  for  the  ['residency, 
while  General  Hancock,  the  Chairman,  was  among 
those  persons  who  mi(^ht  be  nominated,  the  f(jrmer 
heiug  favoured  by  the  Republican,  the  latter  by  the 
Democratic  party.  There  were  slight  indications 
showing  that  this  was  not  forgotten  by  the  meeting. 
The  calls  for  *'  Hartranft "  continuing,  and  that 
General  remaining  seated,  the  Chairman  rose,  and, 
otfei'ing  his  arm  conducted  him  to  the  foot-liyfhts. 
General  Hartranft  said  that  once  he  had  command  of 
the  front  line  of  battle  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
under  General  Meade,  and  finding  that  the  line  was 
suffering  from  an  enfilading  fire,  he  informed  his  com- 
mander of  this.  General  Meade  replied,  "  The  best 
way  to  get  out  of  an  enfilading  fire  is  to  go  ahead." 
Applying  this  anecdote,  which  may  not  have  occur-red 
to  him  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  to  his  present 
case,  he  proceeded  to  pour  forth  compliments  to  his 
old  comrades,  and  gave  them  the  satisfactiovi  which 
they  probably  desired.  This  was  the  end  of  the 
proceedings,  so  far  as  they  possessed  general  in- 
terest. Two  things  struck  me  in  connexion  with 
them.  The  one  was,  that,  despite  references  of 
General  Dix  to  the   events   of  a   century  ago,   the 


hi 


12G 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


memories  of  the  War  of  Independence  seemed  to 
have  been  altogether  eclipsed  by  those  of  the  war 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  Union ;  the  other  was, 
that  such  a  gathering  seemed  fitted  to  make  the 
soldier  regret  that  he  had  become  a  simple  citizen, 
and  to  foster  a  desire  to  resume  a  career  of  military 
excitement. 


u 


127 


VII. 


THE    PRESS    AND   TTIE    PEOPLE    OP    PIlILADELPniA. 

The  DaiJi/  Advertiser,  the  first  daily  newspaper  pub- 
lished ill  the  United  States,  appeared  m  Philadelphia 
in  1784.  In  the  year  of  the  founding  of  the  Ilepublic 
four  newspapers  were  published  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  seven  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts, 
iind  nine  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  All  but  one 
of  the  thirty-seven  which  then  instructed  the  citizens 
of  the  United  States  appeared  once  a  week,  the  ex- 
ception being  the  Pennsylvania  Evening  Pod,  which 
appeared  thrice.  In  the  year  of  the  Centenary  of 
tlie  Republic  the  number  published  in  New  York 
was  1,088,  in  Massachusetts  34G,  and  in  Penn- 
sylvania 738.  At  present,  the  principal  Phila- 
(Iclphian  newspapers  are  the  Times,  the  Press,  the 
Puhlic  Ledger,  the  North  Awcrican.,  the  Star,  the 
Evening  Telegraj^th,  the  Sundai/  Merciiry.  Only  one  of 
tliei?!  merits  special  notice ;  this  is  the  Public  Ledger, 
which  .vas  founded  on  the  25th  of  March,  1836. 

The  Puhlic  Ledger  was  the  third  daily  newspaper 
whicli  had  been  sold  in  Philadelphia  for  one  cent, 
that  is  a  halfpenny.  The  first,  entitled  The  Cent, 
which  was  founded  in  1830,  did  not  live  loi  ?.  The 
second,  the  Daily  Transcript,  was  founded  in  Sep- 
tember,   1835.     The    Public  Ledger  not    only  dis- 


i\M 


Hi 


N  < 


128 


COLUMlilA    AXD    CANADA. 


!i 


tanced  its  competitors  wliicli  cost  six  cents,  but 
proved  iiiorc  than  a  match  for  most  of  its  low-priced 
rivals.  On  the  26tli  of  September,  it  contained  the 
following  exultant  outpouring  over  the  fate  of  less 
fortunate  contemporaries,  such  as  "  Tlio  Ti'mes^  tluit 
had  no  time  to  breathe,  for  it  died  almost  as  soon  as 
])orn  ;  the  Morning  Fast,  tliat  posted  to  its  grave  as 
rapidly  as  if  it  were  an  express  post;  the  Trduncrrpt, 
that  did  nothing  but  transcribe,  for  it  could  not 
teach  originality,  and  transcribed  nothing  worth 
reading ;  the  Eagle,  that  seemed  more  like  a  screech 
owl,  and  never  got  fledged  enough  to  fly ;  the  Coin- 
viercial  Pilot,  that  actually  ran  upon  the  rocks  and 
got  shipwrecked  in  putting  to  sea ;  .  .  .  the  riahi 
Truth,  that  told  nothing  but  lies,  as  the  Coinnuirclal 
Herald  can  testify ;  the  North  American,  that  did 
not  live  long  enough  to  tell  anything." ' 

The  first  number  of  the  PitUic  Ledger,  which  was 
more  vigorously  written  than  any  other  Philadelpliinn 
newspaper,  attracted  an  amount  of  attention  whicli 
betokened  future  success.  Mr.  Russell  Jarvis,  the 
editor,  had  that  power  of  pleasing  readers  and 
making  enemies  which  insures  a  crop  of  remuncrn- 
tive  libel  suits  and  a  large  circulation.  In  an  ad- 
dress to  the  public  he  gave  Great  Britain  the  credit 
of  having  an  engine  of  instruction  in  a  Cheap  Press 
which  other  countries  might  envy  ;  unless  he  meant 
by  this,  such  publications  as  the  Penni/  Magazine,  it 
is  difficult  to  understand  what  he  could  have  re- 
ferred to.  He  too,  however,  had  determined  to 
diffuse  useful  knowledge,  to  aim  at  promoting  tlio 
common  good,  to  endeavour  after  "  the  moral  and 

'  Historical  Sketch  of  tlic  Fuhlic  Ledger  in  "  i'rooi'  Shot't      f 
July,  1870. 


ill 


!     •'! 


THE   PRESS    AND   THE    PEOPLE   OP    PHlLADELPniA.       129 

intellectual  improvement  of  the  labouring  classes,  tho 
great  sinew  of  civilized  societies,"  intimating  that, 
as  a  preliminarj  to  attaining  these  laudable  objects, 
ho  had  "  secured  the  services  of  a  Police  reporter 
and  a  Collector  of  news."  Two  columns  of  the 
first  number  were  filled  with  the  material  suppliod 
by  the  police  reporter,  who  strove  to  combine  tho 
comic  writer  and  the  philosopher,  to  make  his 
readers  laugh  at  the  ludicrous  aspects  of  vice,  and 
to  improve  their  morals  b}'-  suitable  lessons  and 
reflections.  So  earnest  ana  exemplary  was  the 
"Police  reporter"  in  his  vocation  that,  before  the 
newspaper  was  a  week  old,  the  office  was  attacked 
by  persons  who  broke  windows  and  did  other  damage 
by  way  of  protest  against  his  pointed  remarks.  Be- 
fore the  Public  Ledger  was  a  year  old,  it  had  acquired 
the  appellation  of  a  "  little  virulent  sheet "  from  its 
high-priced  contemporaries.  An  action  for  libfl 
soon  followed,  which  emboldened  the  editor  to 
insert  spirit-stirring  articles  in  defence  of  the  Liberty 
of  tho  Press,  and  enabled  a  sympathetic  jury  to  give 
the  psqjcr  a  good  advertisement.  Not  long  aft;  r- 
wtri,  ;'  well-timed  denunciation  of  the  intolerable 
'  I  v'.r-jr  of  many  medical  students,  raised  the  out- 
spoke: orj.;;an  of  public  opinion  high  in  the  estima- 
tion 01  peaceful  citizens.  In  1838,  the  PnhUc 
Li'dgrr  spoke  out  for  the  right  of  liberty  o^.  thought 
and  speech  with  a  boldness  which  did  it  honour 
and  merited  the  applause  of  all  true  friends  of 
freedom.  A  pro-slavery  mob  had  burned  down  a 
i  nil  in  wliicli  an  anti-slavery  meeting  was  to  have 
1):  r;i  Mold.  An  ai'ticle  headed,  "  Scandalous  outraofo 
aj^r.^  ibu  law  as  well  as  against  decency,"  condemned 


I 


this  outburst  of  mob  violence  in  fitting  terms, 


say 


fff^ 


130 


C'OUTMniA    AND    TANADA. 


Ill" 


ing  it  would  bo  better  that  thousands  of  ruffians 
should  perish,  than  "  that  the  great  principle  of 
freedom  of  speech  and  the  Press  should  bo  sur- 
rendered," and  justly  maintaining  that  "  if  the 
right  of  discussion  upon  any  subject,  a  right  made 
common  to  all  by  our  constitution  and  laws,  both 
State  and  Federal,  may  be  invaded  with  impunity, 
all  freedom  among  us  is  abolished,  and  we  are  tlio 
slaves  of  the  very  worst  of  tyrants,  the  moh.^^  This 
tyrant,  nc  adishing  the  course  of  a  paper  which 
added  the  \  ■  of  impartiality  to  its  other  offences, 
proclaiming  ti  right  of  both  parties  to  a  patient 
and  an  undisturbed  hearing,  tried  to  silence  the 
paper  by  physical  force.  Preparations  made  in  the 
office  to  resist  the  only  arguments  which  a  mob  can 
use  proved  effectual ;  when  this  tyrant  knows  that 
violence  will  be  encoimtered  with  armed  resistance 
its  courage  oozes  away ;  hence  the  rnhlic  Ledger 
office  survived  the  demonstrations  made  with  a  view 
to  its  demolition. 

Six  years  afterward,  the  Puhh'c  Lechjer  had  again 
to  face  an  angry  populace,  and  had  to  suffer  for  its 
independence  in  the  most  painful  of  all  ways  to  the 
proprietors  of  a  news})aper,  a  diminished  circula- 
tion. In  the  year  1844,  native-born  citizens  of  the 
United  States  met  in  Philadelphia  to  demonstrate 
what  they  considered  their  claim  to  precedence,  over 
those  of  foreign  birth,  in  governing  the  country. 
Riots  ensued  in  which  blood  was  shed.  Both 
parties  were  subjected  to  stinging  and  deserved 
censure,  and  neither  party  thought  that  justice  had 
been  done  to  it.  Steoring  an  even  course  in  an  en- 
venomed quarrel,  condemning  mob  rule  as  the  worst 
of  evils,  the  conductors  of  the  Puhllc  Ledger  suffered 


>i!>: 


THE   PRESS   AND   THE    PEOPLE   OF   nilLADELrniA.       131 

the  penalty  usually  reserved  for  persons  who  keep 
cool  heads  during  the  tempest  of  popular  passion, 
losing  subscribers  as  well  as,  what  is  a  still  heavier 
misfortune  to  the  proprietors  of  a  newspaper,  the 
favour  of  advertisers.  After  a  time,  however,  the 
dissatisfied  subscribers  and  advertisers  found  it  more 
unpleasant  to  dispense  with  the  paper,  which  con- 
tinued to  flourish,  than  it  did  to  subsist  without 
their  aid. 

In  1844,  the  Piihllc  Ledger  was  printed  on  one  of 
Hoe's  rotary  presses,  being  the  first  paper  so  printed. 
Mr.  Swain,  the  founder  and  proprietor,  having  been 
struck  with  Mr.  Hoe's  scheme  for  placing  type  on 
a  cylinder,  ordered  a  press  before  the  invention 
had  been  tested  by  experience,  and  thus  evinced 
his  foresight  at  a  time  when  printing  in  this  manner 
was  scouted  by  practical  printers  as  an  utter  ab- 
surdity. Among  the  advertisements  in  the  first 
number  of  the  Piihllc  Ledger  was  one  from  Messrs. 
R.  Hoe  and  Co.,  of  New  York,  offering  to  supply  "any 
article  in  the  line  of  the  printing  business  of  the  best 
quality,  and  upon  the  most  reasonable  terms." 

Several  changes,  which  took  place  in  the  pro- 
prietary and  management  in  the  course  of  succeeding 
years,  need  not  be  recorded  in  detail.  During  tho 
civil  war,  it  was  found  that  to  sell  tho  paper  at  one 
cent  a  copy  involved  a  sacrifice  ;  owing  to  the  great 
increase  in  the  price  of  paper  and  laboui',  the  amiual 
loss  amounted  to  upwards  of  $100,000.  In  a 
moment  of  morbid  depression,  the  proprietor  deter- 
mined to  part  with  the  journal ;  on  the  3rd  of 
December,  1804,  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  G. 
W.  Childs.     '■ 

Since    Benjamin    Franklin    entered    Philadelphia 

K  2 


m 


r   :i1 


h    u 


T-^ 


1:^2 


f'OLUMntA    AND   f'ANADA. 


p'^or,  friendless,  and  liungry,  no  youth  more  rcnmrk- 
fible  than  Mr.  Chikls  has  risen  to  fortune  and  an 
enviable  position  there.  Born  at  Baltimore  in  1800, 
he  entered  the  United  States  navy  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  thus  gratifying  the  same  desire  of  going 
to  sea  which  Franklin  entertained,  but  which  his 
father  would  not  countenance,  and  which  would  have 
made  a  sailor  of  Washington,  had  not  the  opposi- 
tion  of  his  widowed  mother  prevailed.  Fifteen 
months'  experience  of  seafaring  life  determiiiL<l 
young  Childs  to  embrace  a  career  on  land ;  going 
to  Philadelphia,  he  obtained  employment  as  shop. 
boy  in  a  bookstore.  Before  five  years  passed  away 
he  had  amassed  a  few  hundred  dollars,  and  begun 
business  as  a  publisher ;  soon  after  he  took  a 
partner,  the  style  of  his  firm  being  Chiids  and 
Peterson.  This  firm  of  publishers  achieved  a  repu- 
tation for  producing  books  of  a  high  chiss,  which 
were  not  only  very  popular,  but  which  were  most 
profitable  to  their  authors.  One  of  them  was  Dr. 
Kane's  "  Arctic  Expedition,"  for  which  the  author 
received  $75,000.  Another  work  was  Mr.  Allibono's 
"  Dictionary  of  Authors,"  which  the  compiler  dedi- 
cated to  Mr.  Childs  in  token  of  the  substantial 
encouragement  received  from  him. 

By  becoming  proprietor  of  the  .Pi.ihUc  Ledger,  Mr. 
Childs  acquired  a  property  which  was  erroneously  sup- 
posed to  be  in  a  critical  state.  It  is  far  more  difficult 
to  resuscitate  the  fallen  fortunes  of  an  established 
newspaper  than  to  found  a  new  one,  and  render  it 
remunerative.  If  the  price  be  reduced  with  a  view  to 
attract  new  subscribers,  the  result  commonly  is  to 
make  a  present  to  the  old  ones  ;  if  the  price  be  raised 
the  old  ones  fall  off,  and  their  places  are  not  easily 


THK    Vni'lSS    AND   THE    TKOrLE    OF   rillLADl^LrillA.       133 

filled.  As  it  was  impossible  to  make  a  profit  on  the 
selling  price  of  six  cents  weekly,  Mr.  Childs  advanced 
the  price  of  the  I'lthJic  Ledger  to  ten  cents,  and  he  also 
cliarged  more  for  advertisements  than  his  predecessor 
had  done.  In  addition  to  making  advertisers  pay 
higher  rates,  he  subjected  tlieir  advertisements  to 
strict  supervision.  Before  his  time  tlio  custom  liad 
been  to  insert  every  advertisement  which  had  been 
paid  for,  provided  it  was  neither  clearly  libellous  nor 
grossly  indecent.  There  are  many  announcements 
which,  though  not  indecent  in  words,  cannot  be 
made  public  without  detriment  to  i^ublic  morality, 
and  these  Mr.  Childs  refused  to  print  on  any  terms. 
This  self-denying  ordinance  diminished  the  annual 
receipts  of  the  Pahlic  Ledger,  for  a  time,  to  tho 
extent  of  $15,000.  He  also  resolved  to  deal  wdth 
public  questions  in  a  temperate  tone  and  serious 
spirit.  Though  partisanship  had  not  been  the  failing 
uf  the  paper,  yet  exaggeration  had  been  one  of  its 
attractions.  This  change  had  a  complete,  but  not  an 
immediate  success.  At  first  the  circulation  of  the 
paper  fell  far  below  what  it  Avas  before  he  became  its 
])roprietor;  gradually,  however,  his  well-considered 
and  praiseworthy  policy  wonfor  it  a  popularity  greater 
than  it  had  over  knoW' n.  The  size  had  to  be  enlarged 
in  order  that  space  might  be  found  for  the  advertise- 
ments, which  continued  to  come  in  like  a  flood.  Not 
many  years  after  the  new  proprietor  had  given  effect 
to  his  enlightened  views,  the  quantity  of  printed  mat- 
ter, in  each  number,  covered  1,573  square  inches  ;  the 
quantity  in  the  first  number  covered  525.  Since  then 
the  size  and  price  have  been  still  farther  increased. 

The  building,  one  of  the  most  imposing  in  Chcsnut 
Street,  in  which   the  Vublic  Ledger  is   now  written 


1  I  i| 

fit 


(' 

I 

I 

1. 1 


134. 


COirMRIA    AND   CANADA. 


and  edited,  printed  and  published,  was  finished  on 
tlie  20th  of  June,  18G7.  Inchiding  the  ground,  the 
cost  was  half  a  million  dollars. 

Before  I  visited  the  office  of  the  Fuhllc  Ledger 
I  was  told  that  nothing  like  it  could  be  seen  in  any 
part  of  the  world.  I  am  familiar  with  the  interiors 
of  newspaper  offices  in  the  United  Staters,  Canada, 
the  United  Kingdom,  France,  and  Germany,  so  that 
I  am  able  to  form  a  comparison  which  is  founded 
on  a  large  experience.  Such  offices  as  those  of  the 
Neiv  Yorh  Tribune^  the  New  York  Herald^  the  GhlccKjo 
Tribune,  are  admitted  to  be  among  the  most  notable 
in  the  United  States,  while  that  of  the  Toronto 
Glube  is  the  finest  in  Canada.  That  of  the  Puhlic 
Ledger  is  held  to  outstrip  them  all,  and  those  in 
other  countries  besides.  There  is  a  little  exaggera- 
tion in  this.  If  any  one  must  be  selected  for  pre- 
eminence, that  of  the  leading  journal  of  the  British 
Empire  must  be  chosen.  The  elephant  is  con- 
sidered a  type  of  skill  and  sagacity,  combined  wiili 
gigantic  strength,  being  able  with  its  trunk  to  pick 
up  a  pin  or  rend  an  oak,  to  tend  an  infant  or  kill 
a  tiger.  "What  this  huge  and  clever  beast  is  among 
animals,  the  office  of  the  Times  is  among  the  offices 
of  newspapers.  Except  ink  and  paper,  everything 
employed  in  the  production  of  a  newspaper  is  made 
there,  from  the  printing-press  down  to  the  type. 
Not  only  are  the  mechanical  details  complete  in  every 
part,  many  of  them  being  far  in  advance  of  those 
in  common  use  elsewhere,  but  the  comfort  of  the 
writers  is  considered  as  well  as  that  of  the  com- 
positors. The  rule  is  to  treat  the  producers  of 
"  copy"  as  persons  who  can  do  their  work  surrounded 
with  every  discomfort,  and  to  reserve  all  the  con- 


THE    PRESS    AND   THE    PKOl'LE   OP    PniLADELPIITA.       135 


vciiiences  for  tlio  men  who  convert  the  manuscript 
into  the  printed  page ;  as  in  this  respect,  however, 
tlie  completeness  which  cliaracterizes  tlie  otlier  de- 
partments of  the  TiniC!^  office  does  not  fail,  I  do  not 
for  a  moment  fear  intellio^cnt  contradiction  in  assin:n- 
iiig  to  it  the  first  place  among  establishments  of 
the  kind. 

Having  made  the  foregoing  reservation,  I  am 
ready  to  admit  that  tlie  office  of  the  riddle  Ledger  is 
worthy  of  the  highest  praise.  Those  persons  who 
are  employed  in  it  think  themselves  fortunate.  They 
number  upwards  of  tliree  hundred.  In  an  address 
presented  to  Mr.  Childs  on  the  4th  of  July,  18G7, 
they  thanked  him  with  patriotic  exuberance  "  for 
having  built  a  palace  for  them  to  work  in;  a  print- 
ing-house which  is  unparalleled  in  the  world ;  a 
printing-office  which,  in  all  its  departments,  is  the 
most  healthy,  comfortable,  and  spacious  on  the 
American  Continent."  With  a  consideration  unique, 
I  believe,  among  employers  of  labour,  Mr.  Childs 
insures  the  lives  of  his  workers,  in  order  that, 
when  they  die,  their  families  may  not  be  left  desti- 
tute ;  he  has  thought  of  the  dead  while  providing  for 
the  living,  for  a  Printers'  Cemetery  has  been  pre- 
sented by  him  to  the  Philadelphia  Typographical 
Societ3^  It  would  be  tedious  to  recount  all  the  good 
deeds  with  which  he  is  credited.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  he  ranks  among  newspaper  proprietors  as  at 
once  a  millionaire  and  a  philanthropist,  and  that 
when  he  employs  his  wealth  for  the  commemoration 
of  a  personal  liking,  he  displays  as  much  good  taste 
as  when  he  lavishes  money  in  works  of  benevolence. 
An  admirer  of  the  exquisite  poets  George  Herbert 
and  William  Cowjicr,  he  gracefully   manifested  his 


iinl  } 


TT 


11 


til 


136 


COLUMRIA    AND    PANADA. 


I,   ,!;;' 


ap])reciation  by  presenting  a  stained  glass  window  to 
Westminster  Abbey  as  a  homage  to  their  memories. 

The  average  daily  circulation  of  the  Piihh'o  Ledger 
exceeds  90,000  copies.  These  copies  are  distributed 
throughout  P]iiladel})hia  in  a  manner  alike  ingenious 
and  novel.  More  than  half  of  the  sale  is  effected  by 
carriers,  an  arrangement  made  by  the  founders  of  the 
paper.  The  city  is  portioned  into  divisions,  called 
•'  routes,"  and  carriers  have  the  start  in  disposing  of 
the  I'lihlic  Ledger  within  their  respective  boundaries. 
The  carriers,  who  number  100,  are  sujiplied  an  hour 
in  advance  of  the  newsboys ;  some  sell  as  many  as 
]  ,G00  copies  daily,  others  not  more  than  sixty.  The 
profit  of  the  aggregate  sales  may  be  imagined 
when  it  is  added  that  the  cash  value  of  their  right 
to  dispose  of  the  paper  is  valued  at  $300,000.  The 
newsboys  dispose  of  about  4,000  copies ;  not  more 
than  600  are  sold  at  the  office,  between  4,000  and 
5,000  copies  are  sent  by  post  to  subscribers  through- 
out the  Union  and  in  foreign  parts. 

The  independence  which  characterized  the  Public 
Ledger  when  it  first  became  a  candidate  for  public 
favour,  has  been  preserved  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Childs.  Party  questions  receive  judicial 
treatment  in  its  columns;  the  Neiv  York  Nation 
excepted,  no  journal  in  the  United  States  is  more 
truly  a  national  organ,  benefiting  mankind  with  what 
might  have  been  wasted  upon  party.  Yet  it  is  not 
quite  perfect;  the  fastidious  reader  who  has  been 
pampered  Avith  the  large  clear  type  in  which  the 
best  European  newspapers  are  printed,  does  not  find 
this  paper  much  more  pleasant  to  the  eye  than  the 
majority  of  its  contemporaries  in  the  Eepublic. 
Such  a  reader  might  wish  that  Mr.  Childs  shared 


THE    TRESS   AND   THE    PEOPLE    OF   PniLADELPIIIA.       137 

some  of  the  views  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Bryant,  and  set  as 
inucli  store  upon  good  Avriting  as  lie  does  upon  an 
independent  and  measured  tone  in  the  treatment  of 
all  subjects.  If  half  the  energy  Avhich  is  expended 
throughout  the  United  States  in  filling  journals 
with  the  latest  news,  were  expended  in  maintaining 
the  standard  of  style  and  diction,  the  Press  of  the 
United  States  would  be  the  marvel  of  the  world. 

Philadelphians  have  undergone  great,  though 
insensible  changes,  since  they  were  first  judged  by 
visitors  to  their  city.  Before  the  present  century 
began,  they  had  the  character  of  being  "  extrem(;ly 
deficient  in  hospitality  and  politeness  towards 
strangers."  Such  is  the  opinion  which,  according 
to  Mr.  Weld,  prevailed  not  among  foreigners  only, 
but  among  the  inhabitants  of  other  parts  of  the 
Union  also.  He  adds  that  "  amongst  the  uppermost 
circles  in  Philadelphia,  pride,  haughtiness,  and 
ostentation  are  conspicuous ;  and  it  seems  as  if 
nothing  could  make  them  happier  than  that  an  order 
of  nobility  should  be  established,  by  which  they  might 
be  exalted  above  their  fellow-citizens,  as  much  as 
they  are  in  their  own  conceit.  In  the  manners  of 
the  people  in  general  there  is  a  coldness  and  reserve, 
as  if  they  were  suspicious  of  some  design  against 
them,  which  chills  to  the  heart  those  who  co'nn  to 
visit  them."^ 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  case  formerly,  it  is 
no  longer  true  that  Philadelphians  fall  behind  their 
fellow-countrymen  in  entertaining  strangers.  Even 
Mrs.    Trollope    and    Captain    Marryat    could    not 


:    ipl 


ir^'^ 


Isaac  Weld's  "  Travels  in  North  America,"  vol.  i.  pp.  21,  22. 


T^ 


■l 


il;|    (5 


138 


COLUXnUA    AND   CANADA. 


comi)lain  of  them  on  tliat  score.  The  former,  how- 
ever, objected  to  tlieir  Puritanism,  sayiiif^  that  "  tlio 
rehf^ioiis  sanctity  of  Philadelpliian  manners  is  in 
notliing  more  consi)icuous  than  in  the  numljer  of 
cliains  thrown  across  the  streets  on  Sunday  to 
prevent  horses  and  carria^^es  from  passing."  These 
chains  no  longer  impede  the  traffic,  nor  indeed, 
though  church-going  is  as  much  in  favour  liere  as  in 
Boston,  is  rehgion  made  to  wear  a  sterner  jispect 
in  the  city  of  the  Quakers  than  in  the  city  of  the 
Puritans.  Captain  Marryat  Avas  struck  with  tliu 
stilhiess  of  the  streets,  and  the  cleanliness  of  the 
inhabitants.  According  to  him,  "  the  first  idea  that 
strikes  you  when  you  arrive  at  Philadelphia,  is  that 
it  is  Sunday :  everything  is  so  quiet,  and  there  ai'o 
so  few  people  stirring;  but  by  the  time  yor  ivo 
paraded  half  a  dozen  streets,  you  come  to  a  con  jn 
that  it  must  be  S«,turday,  as  that  is,  generally  speak- 
ing, a  washing-day."  Here,  again,  the  change  is 
marked.  Those  persons  who  arrived  at  Philadelphia 
in  the  summer  or  autumn  of  1876,  would  have 
supposed  that  they  had  reached  Pandemonium ;  nor 
can  I  believe  that,  at  a  less  exciting  time,  a  Sabbath 
stillness  uniformly  pervades  the  streets. 

Before  visiting  Philadelphia,  I  was  told  that  I 
should  not  enjoy  the  climate.  Certainly,  I  have 
seldom  suffered  more  from  heat  than  I  did  whilst 
there.  Wliat  tries  the  unacclimatized  stranger  most 
of  all  is  the  sudden  variation  in  the  temperature,  the 
change  within  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours  being 
sometimes  from  the  tropical  heat  of  a  hot-house  to 
the  arctic  cold  of  an  ice-house.  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  a 
physician  whose  memory  is  deservedly  cherished  by 
Philadelphians,  gave  M.  Brissot,  in  1788,  the  fol- 


THE   rilESf?   AND   THE    PEOI'r.K    OF    I'lirLADET-PTIIA.      1:"59 

lowinjT  account,  of  tlio  climate  there  :  *'  We  have  the 
liuniidity  of  Gi'eat  Britain  in  s])rinf^,  the  lieat  of  Africa 
ill  summer,  tlie  temperature  of  Italy  in  Juno,  the  sky 
of  Egypt  in  autumn,  the  cold  and  snow  of  Norway 
and  the  ice  of  Plolland  dui'ing  winter,  the  hurricanes 
of  the  West  Indies,  to  a  c<  "tain  extent,  in  each 
season,  and  the  changeable  winds  of  Great  Bi'itain  in 
each  month  of  the  year."  Notwithstanding  this 
extraordinary  variety,  the  Doctor  maintained  that 
"the  climate  of  Philadelphia  is  one  of  the  most 
salubrious  in  the  world. "^  I  am  more  surprised  at 
the  candour  of  the  statement  than  at  the  optimism 
of  the  conclusion.  Though  medical  men  arc  not  in 
the  habit  of  advising  persons  to  shun  the  localities 
in  which  they  practise,  yet  the  un  j  irof essional  persons 
who  read  Dr.  Rush's  account  of  the  Philadelphian 
climate,  may  fancy  they  would  live  more  comfortably 
in  other  places. 

I  do  not  mean  to  pronounce  a  dogmatic  opinion 
concerning  anythhig  in  Philadelphia.  My  own  expe- 
rience was  so  favourable  that  I  may  be  biassed  in 
my  judgment.  In  common  with  many  other  visitors 
during  the  period  of  the  Exhibition,  I  was  the  reci- 
pient of  much  kindness  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  Rosen- 
garten,  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Bar.  His 
house  was  a  centre  where  all  the  most  notable  person- 
ages in  the  place  met  together.  He  introduced  me  to 
the  Reform  Club,  which  deserves  a  word  of  praise.  In 
all  parts  of  the  civilized  globe.  Club-houses  resemble 
each  other  so  closely  as  to  offer  nothing  w^iich  can 
be  singled  out  for  description.  The  Reform  Club  in 
Philadelphia  is   an   exception.     I  have   seen   other 


n 


■4 


"  Nouvocvu  Voyage  duns  les  Etats-Uuis,"  vol.  ii.  p.  119. 


140 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


buildings  of  tiie  kind  wliich  exceed  it  in  size  and  in 
luxury  of  accommodation,  but  I  am  unacquainted 
with  any  Club  which  is  equally  attractive,  not  only 
to  members,  but  to  their  families.  There  is  a  lar^'c 
space  in  the  rear  where  flowers  grow  and  a  fountain 
plaj^s,  and  where,  twice  a  week  in  the  sumniLT 
months,  an  excellent  band  performs  choice  pieces 
of  music.  The  members  sit  here  at  cimall  tables 
enjoying  the  sweet  smells,  the  cool  air,  and  cooling- 
beverages.  Nor  do  they  sit  alone,  for  on  these 
evenings  they  are  allowed  to  bring  with  them  their 
wives,  sisters,  and  daughters.  I  never  met  a  Phila- 
delpliia  lady  who  objected  to  lier  husband  belonging 
to  this  Club,  nor  did  I  meet  any  stranger,  to  Avliom 
its  doors  had  been  thrown  open,  who  failed  to 
characterize  it  as  one  of  the  pleasantest  places  of  the 
kind  which  he  had  ever  entered.  The  highest  praise 
which  a  sojourner  in  a,  strange  city  can  accord  to  it 
is  the  expression  of  his  desire  to  return  thither.  I 
would  gladly  revisit  Philadelphia. 


If  I 


:i    i 


I   'I 


i    ^ 


141 


I--:  1 


VIII, 


THE    DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA. 


TriH  District  of  Columbia,  wherein  the  city  of  Wash- 
iiig-ton  is  situated,  covers  an  area  of  60  square  miles, 
aiitl  o'if^inally  belonged  to  the  State  of  Maryland. 
Guorgetown  is  the  only  other  city  in  the  district. 
The  census  of  1870  showed  the  population  to  be 
131,700;  the  number  in  1860  was:  60,000.  The 
area  of  the  United  States,  as  is  well  known,  is  divided 
into  38  States  and  10  Territories.  Each  State  sends 
two  Senators  to  Congress,  and  Representatives  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  its  inhabitants ;  one 
llepresentative  was  apportioned  to  every  127,381 
after  the  census  of  1860.  In  making  this  calcula- 
tion, the  Indians  are  excluded  on  the  ground  that 
they  are  not  taxed.  The  inhabitants  of  the  District 
of  Columbia,  however,  are  taxed,  but  not  represented ; 
tluy  are  governed  by  Congress.  It  is  true  that  the 
District  is  small  when  compared  with  the  ireas  of 
tlio  several  States  and  Territories,  yd  there  are 
Slates  which  send  Senators  and  Representatives, 
and  there  arc  Territories  Avhicli  send  Dei(>gatcs  to 
(■ongress,  ii\  which  the  population  is  much  smaller. 
Take  the  State  of  Delaware.  This  was  one  of  the 
Thirteen  Colonies  which  contended  for  the  principle 
that  no   man  should   be  taxed  by  an  Assembly  in 


* 

i 

1 

\ 

i 

I 


ik 


■;■;■■ 


142 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


•' ,, 


which  he  was  not  directly  represented.  The  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  empowered  Dehiwaro 
to  send  two  Senators  and  one  Representative  to 
Congress  when  the  population  of  the  State  was  much 
smaller  than  at  present,  and  yet  it  now  contains 
0,085  fewer  inhabitants  than  the  District  of  Columbia. 
In  three  of  the  younger  States,  Nebraska,  Nevada, 
and  Colorado,  the  discrepancy  is  still  more  remark- 
jible  ;  the  first  has  8,707,  the  second  89,209,  and  the 
last  91,886  fewer  inhabitants  than  the  district  over 
which  Congress  exercises  supreme  authority.  Each 
of  these  States  has  three  votes  in  the  Electoral  Col- 
lege which  chooses  the  President :  the  District  of 
Columbia  has  none.  If  the  Territories  are  considered, 
the  case  is  more  remarkable  still.  The  representa- 
tive system  does  not  exist  in  a  complete  form  in 
them,  yet  there  is  at  least  a  semblance  of  representa- 
tion. There  are  Governors  nominated  by  the  Pre- 
sident, and  Legislative  Assemblies  elected  by  the 
people,  while  Delegates  watch  over  their  interests  in 
Congress  without,  however,  having  votes  on  divi- 
sions. Out  of  nine  Territories,  AHska  not  deserving 
to  be  considered  as  one  for  the  purpose  of  compari- 
son or  the  sake  of  argument,  the  total  population  in 
six  of  them  amounts  to  92,500,  being  39,194  in  the 
whole  six  Territories  less  than  that  of  the  single  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia  ;  yet  this  District  has  not  even  the 
rudiments  of  independent  government  possessed  by 
the  Territory  of  AVyoming,  with  its  9,118  inhabi- 
tants, which  has  been  held  up  as  a  model,  since 
female  suffrage  has  been  introduced  there.  Surely 
if  representation  and  taxation  should  co-exist,  then 
the  inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Columbia  are 
either  3horn  of  a  right,  or  afflicted  Aviih  unjustifiiiblc 


TnE    DISTRICT   OF   COLUMr.IA. 


143 


imposts  !  Their  grievances  are  as  great  in  principle 
as  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies 
when  they  embarked  in  the  struggle  for  indepen- 
dence. It  may  be  that  they  prefer  the  paternal  rule 
of  Congress  to  the  enjoyment  of  self-government. 
So  long,  however,  as  they  are  unrepresented  in  the 
Council  of  the  nation,  they  occupy  an  anomalous 
place  in  a  system  which  is  said  to  hd  unrivalled  alike 
for  harmonious  working  and  symmetrical  plan.  The 
absence  of  any  complaint  may  be  a  proof  that  the 
inhabitants  do  not  consider  themselves  aggrieved. 
Though  they  are  without  representation  in  Congress, 
they  may  deem  taxation  to  be  no  tyranny.  But  the 
more  contented  they  are  with  their  state,  the  stronger 
is  the  argument  in  favour  of  Congress  exercising  a 
jurisdiction  over  citizens  who  are  deprived  of  those 
safeguards  against  arbitrary  power  which  are  deemed 
an  essential  element  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
^Gi'th  American  Republic.  "When  United  States 
critics  ridicule  anomalies  in  the  represen*  five  system 
of  the  United  Kingdom,  they  may  fairly  b'  -  asked  to 
look  at  the  District  of  Columbia  as  an  example  of  m 
anomaly  in  their  own  favoured  land,  which  does  not 
seem  to  be  productive  of  injury  in  practice  although 
it  is  indefensible  in  theory. 

It  was  not  till  after  much  heartburning  and  con- 
troversy that  the  present  site  of  the  national  ca[)ital 
Avas  fixed  upon.  The  Northern  members  were  ap- 
prehensive lest  the  seat  of  Government  should  be 
])laced  so  far  south  as  to  be  subjected  to  southern 
influences,  whilst  the  Southern  members  were  strongly 
opposed  to  the  capital  being  too  remote  from  the 
])lace  of  their  residence  and  power.  The  selection 
of  the  site  was  the  result  of  a  compromise  in  which 


i| 


■      aiW-l^^u^l  ,1 


144 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


it 


Washington  played  an  important  part.  Ho  took 
special  interest  in  laying  out  the  city  which  he 
tliought  should  be  called  the  "  Federal  City,"  but 
Avhich  the  people  held  ought  to  bear  his  name.  The 
compliment  was  well  meant,  but  its  value  is  doubtful. 
Tliere  is  a  possibility  of  comasion  in  speaking  of 
AVashington.  It  might  be  said  that  Washington 
was  pure  and  that  Washington  was  corrupt  without 
a  contradiction  in  fact,  though  the  contradiction 
w^ould  be  complete  if  the  explanation  were  not  given 
that  the  one  statement  had  reference  to  the  patriot, 
the  other  to  the  city.  Perhaps  it  is  fortunate  for 
the  memory  of  the  great  Protector  that  no  important 
city  has  been  named  Cromwell,  and  it  maybe  equally 
a  matter  for  satisfaction  that  the  names  of  the 
principal  cities  of  the  civilized  world  are  impersonal. 
The  Fathers  of  tlie  Republic  would  have  displayed 
greater  wisdom  had  they  determined  upon  makmg 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  or  Boston  the  capital  of 
the  Union.  No  great  capital  has  been  the  product 
of  legislation.  Edinburgh,  Dublin,  London,  Paris, 
Vienna,  Berlin,  Rome,  have  become  the  capitals  of 
Scotland,  Ireland,  England,  France,  Austria,  Ger- 
many, Italy,  by  a  process  resembling  that  natural 
selection  which  Dr.  Darwin,  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer, 
and  Professor  Huxley  hold  lo  be  a  natural  law.  A 
legislator  might  have  thouglit  that  he  could  easily 
make  a  more  suitable  choice  in  each  case,  just  as  a 
rush  dogmatist  would  aver  that,  had  the  creation 
of  tlie  world  been  left  to  him,  the  result  would  have 
given  general  satisfaction.  He  means  by  this  that 
the  arrangement  w^ould  have  pleased  him  much  better, 
and  it  would  doubtless  have  been  in  more  complete 
accord  with  his  personal  notions  and  requirements. 


T[IE    DISTRICT    OF    COLLMRIA. 


145 


Tlio  legislators  of  die  United  States  have  acted  on 
the  supposition  that  a  central  site  must  always  be 
the  best  one  for  a  capital ;  the  result  has  been 
curious  rather  than  commendable.  Beyond  all  ques- 
tion the  chief  city  of  the  State  of  New  York  bears 
the  name  of  the  State,  yet  the  far  less  notable  city 
of  Albany  is  the  capital.  Philadelphia  has  a  much 
stronger  historic  claim  to  be  the  capital  of  Penn- 
sylvania than  Ilarrisbnrg.  Everybody  knows  that 
(Hiarleston  is  the  principal  city  in  South  Carolina; 
the  actual  capital  is  Columbia ;  a  minor  Charles- 
town,  unknown  to  fame,  is  the  capital  of  West 
Virginia.  In  Ohio,  there  is  no  larger  and  moie 
important  city  than  Cincinnati ;  in  Illinois,  there  is 
none  that  can  compare  with  Chicago ;  in  Missouri, 
the  pre-eminence  of  St.  Louis  is  undoubted ;  in 
California,  the  city  of  San  Francisco  has  no  rival ; 
in  Maryland,  no  place  can  match  Baltimore ;  in 
Maine,  there  is  no  equal  to  Portland ;  yet  Columbus 
is  the  capital  of  Ohio,  Springfield  of  Illinois,  Jeffer- 
son City  of  Missouri,  Sacramento  of  California, 
Annapolis  of  Maryland,  Augusta  of  Maine.  Rhode 
Island,  which  has  the  smallest  area  of  any  state  in 
the  Union,  has  two  capitals,  Newport  and  Provi- 
dence. Ovring  to  its  situation  and  importance  New 
Orleans  ought  always  to  have  been  the  capital  of 
Louisiana ;  till  the  civil  war  that  distinction  was 
enjoyed  by  Baton  Rouge.  Richmond,  the  capital  of 
Virginia,  and  Boston,  the  capital  of  the  great  com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts  Bay,  have  been  allowed 
to  retain  their  natural  pre-eminence.  The  chances, 
however,  are  against  the  city  of  importance  being  per- 
mitted to  occupy  the  rank  of  a  capital,  and  it  is  a 
subject  of  wonder  why  New  Orleans,  Richmond,  ami 


1. 

it: 

I- 

1 

■ 

. 

•'  1 


ll 


U6 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


Boston  have  not  shared  the  fate  of  San  Francisco,  New 
York,  and  Philadelphia.  If,  by  chance,  a  rising  city- 
should  happen  to  be  the  capital  of  a  new  State  it  will 
soon  cease  to  hold  that  place  of  honour.  The  State 
of  Nebraska  is  among  the  later  additions  to  the  Union. 
Its  prin^^nal  town  is  Omaha,  which  at  one  time 
ranked  as  the  capital.  The  citizens  determined, 
however,  upon  a  change  which  deprived  Omaha  of 
its  titular  importance  without  lessening  its  power 
of  growth,  and  they  made  Lincoln,  a  much  smaller 
and  less  notable  town,  the  State  capital. 


n 


rw^^ 


147 


IX. 


THE    CAPITAL    OF   THE    UNION. 

h  1815,  Mr.  Ticknor,  the  historian  of  Spanish 
literature,  visited  the  capital  of  his  country  for  the 
first  time.  Not  long  before  this  date,  the  pubHc 
buildings  had  been  burned  to  the  ground  by  order 
of  General  Ross,  in  command  of  a  British  force,  an 
act  for  which  the  pretext  was  no  justification,  and 
one  which  it  is  impossible  to  excuse  by  urging 
that  this  barbarous  warfare  had  been  previously 
waged  in  Canada,  by  the  forces  of  the  Union, 
ill  obedience  to  direct  and  deliberate  instructions 
from  the  United  States  Government.  As  the 
cai'riago  in  which  Mr.  Ticknor  made  the  journey 
from  Baltimore  approached  the  city  of  T'ashington, 
his  heart  swelled  with  patriotic  eiithusiasm,  and  ho 
eagerly  prepared  himself  to  enjoy  the  prospect. 
llaviu<):  reached  the  midst  of  a  desolate-lookii, 
plain,  over  which  vehicles  were  passing  in  all 
•lirections,  he  said  to  the  driver  of  his  carriage, 
"Where  are  we  now?"  The  reply  was  "  '  In  the 
Maryland  Avenue,  Sir.'  He  had  hardly  spoken 
when  tlie  hill  of  the  Capitol  rose  before  iis.  I  had 
hci'ii  told  that  it  was  an  imperfect,  unfinished 
work,  and  that  it  was  somewhat  unwiehly  in  its  best 
t-'state.     I  knew  that  it  was  now  a  ruin,  but  I  had 

L  2 


yii 


.i 


■t  !l 


1 

i- 
1 

;  h 

1 

ui'.L 

!! 


I  > 


148 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


fovraccl  no  conception  of  what  I  was  to  sec — the 
desolate  and  forsaken  greatness  in  wliicli  it  stood, 
without  a  building  near  it,  except  a  pile  of  bricks 
on  its  left  more  gloomy  than  itself,  and  the  ruins 
of  the  house  from  which  General  Iloss  was  fired  at; 
no,  not  even  a  hill  to  soften  the  distant  horizon 
behind  it,  or  a  fence  or  a  smoke  to  give  it 
the  cheerful  appearance  of  a  human  habitation."  ' 
Fifteen  years  befoi-e  ]\Ir.  Ticknor's  visit,  Tom  Moore 
had  been  at  Washington,  and  had  written  the  lines 
in  an  epistle  to  Dr.  Hume  which  gave  great  offence 
in  the  United  States  : — 


,   ■ 
I  ■ 
1 

1 

1 

1 

:■!-' 

,  '   I;!; 

>i 

,' 

j 

1 
1 

1 

/ 
: 

i,'" 

'■     ^''  'i 


"  This  famed  metropolis  where  fancy  sees 
Squares  in  morasses,  obelisks  in  trees  ; 
Which  travelling  fools  and  gazetteers  adorn 
With  shrines  unbuilt  and  heroes  yet  unborn." 

Mr.  Weld,  describing  this  city  in  170G,  says 
that,  "  excepting  the  streets  and  avenues,  and  a 
small  part  of  the  ground  adjoining  the  public  build- 
ings, the  whole  place  is  covered  with  trees.  To  be 
under  the  necessity  of  going  through  a  deep  wood 
for  one  or  two  miles,  perhaps,  in  order  to  see  a 
next-door  neighbour  and  in  the  same  city,  is  a 
curious,  and  I  believe,  a  novel  circumstance."  ^  Forty 
years  later,  Captain  Hamilton  describing  his  journey 
from  Baltimore  to  Washington,  says  :  "  I  was  look- 
inof  from  the  windows  of  the  coach,  in  a  sort  of 
brown  study,  at  fields  covered  with  snow,  when 
one  of  my  fellow-passengers  inquired  how  I  liked 
Washington.  '  I  will  tell  you  when  I  see  it,'  was 
my  reply.     '  Why  you  have  been  in  Washington  for 

'  "  Memoirs  of  George  Ticknor,"  vol.  i  p.  2i. 
*  Isaac  Weld's  "  Travels,"  vol.  i.  p.  SG. 


t! 


TJIE    CAI'ITAL    OV   THE    UNION. 


149 


tho  last  quarter  of  an  hour,'  rejoined  my  fellow- 
ti'iiveller.  And  so  it  was ;  yet  notlung  could  I 
discern  but  a  miserable  cottai^e  or  two  occasionally 
skirting  the  road  at  wide  intervals."  *  Miss  Mar- 
liiieau,  Avho  was  there  in  1835,  depicts  it  in  terms 
sciU'cely  more  attractive  than  those  used  by  any  pre- 
ceding visitor.  According  to  her,  "  the  city  itself  is 
unlike  any  other  that  ever  was  seen — straggling  out 
hither  and  thither,  Avitli  a  small  house  or  two, a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  any  other  ;  so  that  in  makii:g  calls  '  in 
the  city,'  we  had  to  cross  ditches  and  stiles,  and 
■walk  alternately  on  grass  and  pavements,  and  strike 
across  a  field  to  reach  a  street."  *  Among  tho 
changes  wrought  during  a  few  years  in  the  United 
States  none  has  been  more  striking^  than  that  which 
concerns  the  exterior  aspect  of  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton. Whoever  reads  what  was  written  about  it  by 
the  travellers  whose  remarks  I  have  quoted,  and 
looks  on  the  city  as  it  now  exists,  will  have  great 
difficulty  in  believing  that  the  place  before  his  eyes, 
and  that  about  which  he  has  read,  are  the  same. 

The  foundation  of  tlie  city  of  Washington  dates 
from  the  year  1791;  in  the  year  1793,  the  foun- 
dation-stone of  the  Capitol  was  laid  by  the  first 
and  greatest  President  of  the  Republic.  The 
building  of  the  city  went  on  slowly  for  a  time. 
In  1792,  fruitless  endeavours  were  made  to  induce 
workmen  to  come  from  Scotland.  The  Presi- 
dent suggested  that  an  application  should  be  made 
to  Holland  and  France ;  he  thought  that  tho 
intestine  commotion  in  the  latter  country  would 
induce    many   persons    to    desire   to    better   their 

^  "  Men  ;uul  ^Manners  in  America,"  vol.  ii.  p.  23. 
*  "  Rotros-poct  of  Wostorn  Travel,"  vol.  i.  p.  237. 


I  ^m 


[I; 


1 

1          • 

. , ' 

i 

!' 

i 

! 

<.M 

Hi 

!    j 

f 

j 

1 

i 

III 

i*      Ij 


jr 


150 


COr-UMniA    AND    CANADA. 


m 


I   :■,  ,f 


condition  ])y  crossing  tlio  Atlantic,  and  lul)()ur  in 
erecting  the  capital ;  ho  was  anxious  that  thei'c  slionld 
be  no  delay  in  prosecuting  the  necessary  operations, 
in  order  that  the  declared  enemies  of  the  scheme 
might  be  checkmated. 

In  179-3,  Washington  wrote  to  the  great  Englisli 
agriculturist,    Arthur   Young,   telling    him,   amon2: 
other  things,  that — "  The  Federal  City  in  the  yeai- 
1 800  will  become  the  seat  of  the  General  Government 
of  the  United  States.     It  is  fast  increasing  in  build- 
ings and  rising  in  consequence,  and  will,  I  have  no 
doubt,  from  the  advantages  given  to  it  by  nature, 
and  its  proximity  to  a  rich  interior  country  and  tlio 
Western    territory,   become    the   emporium   of   the 
United  States."     Throe  years   afterwards,  he  used 
almost  identical  terms  about  the  Federal  City  in  a 
letter  to  Sir  John  Sinclair,  who  then  seems  to  liave 
contemplated  emigrating  to  the  United  States,  and 
who  applied  to  Washington  for  particulars  about  tlie 
land  in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  property.     Jell'ersoii 
proposed    in    1795    that   a   University     should    he 
established  here,  in  which  the  teaching^  staff  should 
consistof  the  professors  who  had  been  obliged  to  leave 
Geneva  owing  to  the  revolution ;   but  Washington 
did  not  favour  the  settlement  of  so  many  foreigners 
in    a   national    institution.       The   last   noteworthy 
mention  of  a  city,  which  was  often  in  his  thoughts, 
and   for  which  he  did  more  than  any  other  man, 
occurs  in  a  letter  written  in  1798,  eighteen  months 
before  his  death.     It  was  addressed  to  Mrs.  Fairfax, 
who  had  formerly  been  one  of  his  neighbours  at  Mount 
Vernon,  but  who  was  then  living  in  England.     After 
telling  her  of  various  changes  which  had  occurred, 
he  says — "  A  century  hence,  if  this  country  keeps 


Tlir:    CAPITAL   OF   THE   UNION. 


151 


uiiitod  (iind  it  is  surely  its  policy  and  interest  to  do 
it),  will  produce  a  city,  though  not  as  large  as 
jjoiidon,  yet  of  a  magnitude  inferior  to  few  others 
ill  iMU'ope,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  where  one 
is  now  establishing  for  the  permanent  seat  of 
tlie  Government  of  the  United  States,  between 
Alexandria  and  Georgetown,  on  the  Maryland  side  of 
the  river ;  a  situation  not  excelled  for  commanding 
prospect,  good  water,  salubrious  air,  safe  harbours, 
by  any  in  the  world,  and  where  elegant  buildings  are 
erecting  and  in  forwardness  for  the  reception  of 
Congress  in  the  year  1^00."  He  died  a  fortnight 
before  the  beginning  of  the  year  in  which  his  favourite 
city  became  the  actual  capital  of  his  country. 

By  the  time  that  the  city  of  Washington  shall  be  a 
century  old,  the  dream  of  its  founder  may  be  as  far 
from  realization  as  it  is  at  present.  Two-thirds  of 
the  period  have  passed  away ;  yet  the  city  is  still 
surpassed  by  many  capitals  in  Europe,  not  in 
magnitude  only,  but  also  in  all  those  attractions  which 
make  cities  famous.  The  population  chiefly  consists 
of  foreign  Ministers  and  their  suites,  and  of  office- 
holders, ofiice-seekers,  and  lobbyists.  The  harbour 
is  safe  enough,  but  there  is  no  commerce ;  the 
situation  is  excellent,  but  there  are  few  manufactures. 
If  life  and  manners  in  New  York  are  not  typical  of 
Avhat  prevails  throughout  the  United  States,  still 
less  typical  are  life  and  manners  in  Washington.  It 
is  the  capital  of  tlie  country ;  but  in  no  sense  is  it  a 
representative  city.  In  Paris,  Brussels,  Berlin, 
Vienna,  Rome,  and  London,  even  when  the 
Legislatures  are  not  sitting,  there  is  plenty  to 
interest  and  instruct  a  stranger.  In  Washington, 
when  Congress  has  adjourned,  there  is  the  stagnation 


M 


I  '  ;• 


l!  tl^r 


ir>2 


COLUMIUA    AND    CAN  VDA. 


of  a  watci'infT.place  when  tho  summer  visitors  luivc 
Lle]tarte(l  and  gloomy  winter  has  arrived.     A  visitor 
to  the  United  States  could  spend  many  months  most 
profitiihly  in  New  York,  JJoston,  and  Piiiladelpliia, 
in  the  oUler  cities  of  the  South,  or  the  younger  cities 
of  the  West;  but  he  could  learn  little  if  he  were  to 
pass  the  same  time  in  AVashington.     After  he  had 
visited  the  Ca])itol,  tho  public  offices,  tho  Corcoran 
Calleiyof  Art,  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  ho  would 
have  beliekl  nearly  everything  worth  seeing.     As  for 
society,    no    one    maintains    that    those   who    are 
fastidious  or  cultured  ought  to  choose  Washington 
as  their  place  of  abode.     People  who  go  thither  do 
so    for    business    only;    no    one,    from    the    Cliief 
Justice  to  the  humblest  Government  clerk,  has  ever 
])rot'essod  to  reside  there  for  pleasure.     A  friend  of 
mine,  who  is  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  once 
spent  a  Avinier  in  Washington  for  the  purpose  ol' 
studying  in  one  of  the  libraries.     His  companions  at 
the  hotel   displayed  curiosity  as  to  his  doings,  and 
thev  asked  him  how  his  Bill  was  getting  on.     They 
thought  that  ho  nnist  be  interested  either  in  j)ru- 
moting  or  opposing  a  Bill  in  Congress.     On  being 
told  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  legislation,  tluy 
first  treated  this  as  a  transparent  joke;  on  being 
assured  again  that  they  were  mistaken,  they  treated 
him  as  a  harmless  lunatic. 

Human  interest  centres  here  in  two  buildings, 
both  of  which  are  in  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  and  which 
are  upwards  of  a  mile  distant  from  each  other,  the 
Capitol  and  the  White  House ;  the  seat  of  Congress 
and  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  abode  of  the 
President.  The  dome  of  the  Capitol  is  as  con- 
spicuous an  object  from  the  surrounding  country  as 


i 


TlIK    L'Al'lTAl,    OF    TIIK    IJNIOX. 


153 


the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  is  from  the  CiunpaL^na.      It 
has   long   ceased   to   bo   the   unsightly  ruin  wliich 
])roduced  so  painful  an  impression  upon  Mr.  Ticknor. 
Regarded     as     a     mere    arcliit(3Ctural     pile    it     is 
grandiose ;  but  it  wants  that  symmetry  of  form  and 
magic  of  design  which  make  St.  Peter's  a  tiling  of 
beauty.     No  architect  will  ever  gaze  upon  it  in  order 
to  gain  inspiration  and  (jualify  himself  to  become  a 
master  of  his  profession.     There  is  as  little  originality 
in  its  form  as  there  is  in  that  oF  the  two  Houses  of 
Parhament  upon  the  bank  of  the  Thames.     The  sum 
expended  upon  it  was  not  far  short  of  four  millions 
sterling.     The   result  is  a  huge  dome  crowning  a 
structure  which   miglit    have  been    planned   by   an 
intelligent  biicklayer.     It  would  bo  strange,  indeed, 
if  the  building  possessed  unity  of  design,  seeing  that 
its  present  appearance  is  very  different  from  that  of 
the  original  plan.     Two  wings  were  added  in  1851 
to  the  edifice  of  which  Washington  laid  the  founda- 
tion-stone   in   1793.     If  any  architect   in    our  day 
were  to  design  two  wings  for  St.  Peter's  or  St.  Paul's, 
for  Notre  Dame  or  AVestminster  Abbey,  he  would 
probably  fail  in  adding  to  the  artistic  effect  of  any 
of  tliem.     But  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  are 
pleased  with  their  Capitol,  they  say  that  it  is  one  of 
tlie  most  magnificent  public  buildings  in  the  world ; 
other  persons  have  not,  perhaps,  any  right  to  com- 
plain.     In   the   interior,    there   is   more   to   excite 
surprise  than  admiration.     The  Rotunda  is  decorated 
with  pictures,  and  provided  with  gigantic  spittoons. 
Judging  from  the  condition  of  the  floor,  I  should 
infer  that  the  latter  are  supposed  to  be  intended  for 
ornament  rather  than  use.     The  pictures  are  large 
in  size  and  brilliant  in  colour.     They  are  eight  in 


i| 


It: 


/''     i 
i' 


\i,.,n 


154 


COLUMBIA   ANn    CANADA. 


i 


I  ; 


'!'«r 


number,  and  re  present — "The  Discovery  of  the 
Mississippi,"  "The  Baptism  of  Pocoliontas,"  ''Tiie 
Declaration  of  Indep  Midence," '■  The  Suriviider  of 
(lenoral  IJuru^-oyue,"  "  Tlie  Sm'rcnder  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis,"  "  General  Washington  resigning  his  ('oni- 
mission,"  "  The  Embarkation  of  the  Pilgrins."  No 
more  diflicidt  task  can  bo  undertaken  by  a.  painter 
than  the  production  of  a  historical  picture  in  which 
the  r(!quirement.'!'  of  patriotism  are  reconciled  to  the 
(exigencies  of  art.  These  works  are  the  production 
of  jiative  artists  who  were  doubtless  excellent  patriots. 
I  sliall  refi'ain  from  criticism ;  any  unfavourable 
observations  bv  a  stransj^or  would  assm-edlv  bo 
regarded  as  s|)lcnetic.  The  eflect  jDroduced  on  me 
by  those  pictures  was  probably  the  rovci  .jo  of  that 
contemplat.'d  by  their  painters.  The  story  of  Do 
Soto's  discovering  tlie  Mississippi  is  ono  which  ought 
to  inspire  an  artist.  That  adventurer  started  oiT,  at 
the  head  of  a  finely-equipped  forco,  to  conquer  and 
colonize  Florida,  and  discover  gold-mines  there,  lie 
succeeded  in  slaying  Indians  by  the  score,  but  nevT 
found  the  gold  which  he  sought.  His  quest  was 
})rolonged  for  two  years.  Before  that  tune  had 
elapsed,  he  lost  man}'  of  his  comrades  by  disease  and 
in  battle.  On  one  occasion,  they  were  neai'ly  over- 
powered by  the  Indians,  who  attacked  them  (hiring 
tlio  night,  and  they  escaped  with  their  lives  only. 
They  had  to  fashion  garments  to  cover  their  naked- 
ross,  and  rude  Aveapons  where\*  ith  to  flglit.  Several 
months  afterwards,  they  discovered  the  Mississippi. 
Tiu^y  cannot  have  presented  a  holiday  spectacle 
wlien  they  reached  the  bank  of  the  Father  of  Waters, 
yet,  in  ihe  picture  here,  their  arms  are  as  bright,  and 
their  attire  is    as    sj)otless    as    if  they  had   decked 


mm 


Tin-;    (CAPITAL   OK   TUE    UNION. 


155 


tliomselvcs  out  for  a  tournament ,  and  were  about  to 
enter  tlio  lists  under  tlie  eyes  of  tlio  Queen  of 
Beauty. 

The  Chamber  in  which  the  Representatives  meet 
is  arranged  in  a  different  way  from  that  of  our 
House  of  Commons.  Each  member  has  his  own 
desk  as  well  as  his  seat,  and  these  are  ranged  in  rows 
in  a  semicircle  in  front  of  the  Speaker's  chair.  The 
scats  arc  appropriated  by  lot,  so  that  members  of 
opposite  pai'ties  may  sit  side  by  side,  while  members 
of  the  same  party  may  be  separated  by  the  whole 
width  of  the  chumber,  round  which  there  is  a  gallery 
tljataccommodates  1,200  spectators.  Tlia  decorations 
are  gaudy.  The  dimensions  of  the  chamber  are  131) 
feet  in  length,  03  feet  in  width,  and  30  feet  in  heiglit. 
The  Senate  Chandjer,  which  is  arranged  in  the  same 
w.ty,  is  rathor  smaller.  It  is  decorated  in  a  more 
subdued  style,  and  in  better  taste.  The  other  rooms 
are  well  arranged,  and  seem  far  more  comfortable 
than  those  wliich  correspond  to  them  in  our  Houses 
of  Parliament.  The  sittings  of  the  Supreme  Court 
are  held  in  a  room  under  this  roof.  The  Justices 
wear  gowns,  a  distinction  which  does  not  prevail 
in  other  Courts ;  the  members  of  tlic  Bar  and 
Bench  are  undistino-iiishable  from  the  audience  in 
the  ordinary  Courts  of  the  United  States.  I  would 
not  nnuntaln  that  Justice  cannot  be  administered  by 
men  in  plain  clothes  as  well  as  by  men  in  olHcial 
robes,  any  more  than  I  would  maintain  tlu)t  soldiers 
could  not  fight  uidess  tliey  were  attired  in  uni- 
form. Consequently,  the  absence  of  wigs  and  gowns 
in  a  United  States  Court  of  Justice  did  not  seem  to 
me  of  much  importance  ;  yet,  just  as  I  see  no  harm, 
but  some  advantage  in  a  soldier  weiu'ing  a  uniform, 


I 


~ 


15G 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


;■)  i  i 


SO  do  1  tliink  that  a  distitictive  costurao  for  tlic 
Bench  and  tlio  ]5ai'  is  in  keeping  with  the  legid 
profession.  The  exce])tion  of  the  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  United  States  wearing  gowns, 
while  the  Judges  in  other  Courts  wear  none,  is 
the  reverse  of  the  rule  which  prevails  at  home.  The 
two  highest  Courts  in  the  United  Kingdom  are  the 
House  of  Lords  and  the  Privy  Council.  The  former 
hears  appeals  from  the  principal  Courts  in  the  land, 
the  latter  from  those  in  the  Empire,  yet  the  Judges 
in  both  wear  their  ordinary  clothes,  without  the  addi- 
tion of  the  wigs  and  o^owns,  which  are  held  to  be  in- 
dispensable  in  all  other  Courts,  with  the  exception  of 
those  over  which  Police  Magistrates  preside.  Thus 
extremes  meet,  a^id  tlio  Law  Lords,  or  the  members 
of  the  Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy  Council,  deter- 
mine moot  yjoints  of  the  highest  moment  in  the 
simple  attire  of  Police  Magistrates.  There  is  as 
little  novelty,  then,  in  tlie  judges  of  all  Courts  but 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  dispensing 
justice  without  robes  of  office,  as  there  is  in  those  of 
the  latter  Court  in  wearing  them. 

The  visitor  to  the  Capitol  soon  tires  of  the  interior, 
nor  does  a  sight  of  the  large  Congressional  library 
dispel  his  fatigue.  The  interest  in  seeing  rows  of 
shelves  filled  with  books  is  not  greater  than  that  of 
seeing  rows  of  shelves  filled  with  bottles.  Thougfli 
the  books  may  be  priceless,  and  the  wine  in  the  bottles 
of  the  rarest  vintage,  yet  this  gives  no  solace  to  the 
mere  spectator.  During  one  of  Southey's  visits  to 
London,  he  visited  the  British  Museum  Library  and 
was  astounded  at  its  size.  He  expressed  his  tliank- 
fulness,   however,   tluit   liis  abode  was  at    Keswick 


III 


"^^■^■i^^lB 


TTIE    CAriTAL    OF   THE    UNION. 


instead  of  being  in  or  near  Great  Russell  Street, 
Bloomsbury,  because  he  felt  tliat  lie  should  go  mad 
to  think  that  so  many  books  were  within  his  reach 
and  tliat  he  could  not  possibly  read  them  all.  I  tlo 
not  know  whether  ]\reml)ers  of  (yonQ;ross  are  ever 
afflicted  with  a  like  misgiving ;  certaiidy,  they  have 
access  to  a  library  which  would  daunt  or  satiate  the 
most  inveterate  bookworm.  Members  of  Congress 
are  chargeable,  not  with  reading,  but  with  speaking  to 
excess ;  their  speeches  seldom  display  a  profound 
acquaintance  with  what  other  people  have  devoted 
their  lives  to  writing. 

The  part  of  the  Capitol  which  pleased  me  the  best 
was  the  gallery  outside  the  dome.  The  dome  is  of 
iron,  and  there  is  an  inn  or  and  an  outer  sliell,  be- 
tween which  a  spiral  stair  leads  to  the  top.  On  the 
way  up  the  visitor  gets  a  good  view  of  the  frescoes, 
by  Coustantine  Brumidi,  which  are  under  the  canopy, 
wliich  cover  G,00()  square  feet,  and  were  executed 
within  ten  months.  Having  taken  a  long  look  at  tlie 
frescoes,  and  failed  to  perceive  anything  which  could 
be  spoken  of  in  tones  flattering  to  the  artist  and  his 
admirers,  I  continued  my  ascent.  The  view  from 
the  outside  is  very  ditferent  from  any  ])icturo  wliich 
the  dome  covers.  Tlie  city  itself,  with  its  broad 
avenues,  massy  piles  of  building,  its  gardens  and 
ornamental  grounds,  is  a  siglit  of  which  the  eye  does 
not  weary.  In  the  back^-round  are  the  wooded 
heights  of  Arlington,  at  the  bottom  of  which  tlie 
slow,  broad  waters  of  the  Potomac  flow  along. 
The  long  bridge,  a  mile  in  length,  spans  the  river, 
which  in  its  course  to  the  sea  passes  the  old  town  of 
Alexandria,  once  a  busy  place  of  commerce  Avhen 
shi])s  plied  between   it   and  Bristol,  bringitig  goods 


TTT 


158 


COHTMniA    ANJ)   CANADA. 


h    !i 


1 1 


1  !i 


for  the  Virginian  planters,  and  carrying  back  their 
tobacco  in  exchange.  The  whole  prospect  is  the 
more  pleasing  because  the  country  has  a  more  culti- 
vated aspect  than  is  common  in  this  vast  territory. 
The  remembrance  of  another  view  recurred  to  my 
mind  as  I  stood  here.  From  the  tower  of  the  State 
House  of  Salt  Lake  City  I  had  looked  upon  a 
scene  like  this  one.  There,  too,  were  clusters  of 
buildings  along  wide  streets ;  the  buildings  were 
surrounded  with  gardens,  and  the  streets  were  lined 
with  trees.  The  scene,  however,  was  grander  than 
that  I  now  gazed  upon.  The  Jordan  and  the  Salt 
Lake  took  the  place  of  the  Potomac,  while  the  Wah- 
satch  mountains  rose  skyward  with  bolder  outlines 
than  the  wooded  hills  of  Virginia.  Alike  in  the 
capital  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  and  the  capital  of  the 
United  States  the  greatest  enjoyment  is  afforded  by 
the  view  from  the  loftiest  buildings.  Both  are  ploa- 
santer  to  look  at  than  to  live  in. 

The  White  House,  which  is  said  to  have  been  de- 
signed by  Mr.  James  Hoban  after  the  mansion  of  the 
Duke  of  Leinster,  attracts  as  many  visitors  as  tlie 
Capitol ;  but,  were  it  not  the  residence  of  the  Presi- 
dent, few  would  bestow  a  second  glance  upon  it .  The 
reception-rooms  are  spacious,  yet  they  seem  petty  to 
those  persons  who  have  visited  Buckingham  Palace 
and  Windsor  Castle,  the  Palace  of  Versailles,  t]ie 
Palaces  of  Berlin,  Potsdam,  or  Babelsberg.  Even 
old  Holyrood  House,  though  not  on  the  scale  of 
many  royal  dwellings,  has  far  finer  rooms  than  the 
Kxecutive  Mansion  ;  while  the  Prince  of  Monaco, 
who  rules  over  2,000  persons,  is  lioused  in  a  palace 
compared  with  which  the  official  residence  of  flic 
I^rcsideiit  ol"  the  United  States  sinks  into  iiisiiifiiili- 


.  *.: 


THE    CAPITAL   OF   THE    UNION. 


169 


cance.  The  private  rooms  in  the  White  House 
arc  few  in  number ;  indeed,  a  President  with  a 
large  family  would  be  sadly  stinted  for  accommo- 
dation. Nevertheless  the  White  House  has  a  fasci- 
nation which  the  most  splendid  mansion  in  the 
United  States  does  not  exercise ;  a  tenant  is  never 
eager  to  leave  it  for  another  place  of  abode.  No 
stranger  has  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  satis- 
faction of  shaking  hands  with  the  President,  a  plea- 
sure hardly  more  substantial  than  that  of  being  pre- 
sented, and  making  a  bow  to  a  crowned  head.  Those 
persons  who  had  any  claim  to  more  than  a  formal 
reception  found  it  easy  to  obtain  an  interview  with 
President  Grant,  and  they  were  certain  to  be  received 
by  him  with  a  courtesy  which  few  crowned  heads 
would  display.  Photographs  do  injustice  to  his 
appearance.  A  quiet  smile,  which  frequently  occurs 
in  conversation,  softens  the  features  which  seem 
stern  in  repose.  His  voice  is  soft,  he  speaks  slowly, 
and,  when  interested  in  any  topic,  he  is  the  reverse 
of  taciturn,  I  can  well  believe  that  those  with  whom 
he  is  intimate  consider  him  a  genial  companion. 

If  the  Capitol  and  the  White  House  are  the  two 
principal  places  in  Washington,  the  Patent  Office  is 
the  most  remarkable,  and,  in  many  respects,  the  most 
attractive  spot  in  this  city  of  Public  Offices.  Here 
may  be  seen  what  is  alike  typical  of  the  United 
States  and  highly  creditable  to  them.  The  building- 
is  largely  composed  of  white  marljle.  The  rooms 
are  vast,  one  being  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length, 
and  they  are  well  planned  for  the  })urpose  which  they 
subserve.  This  spacious  edifice  cannot  be  contrasted 
with  the  Patent  Office  in  London  without  a  feeling  of 
liiimiliation. 


H 


I  |t 


¥'^M 


r'  f  ) 


» 


I 

■if 


160 


COI/UMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


There  are  many  other  buildings  of  note  in  Wasli- 
ington  ;  those  which  I  have  described  alone  possess 
general  interest.  There  are  several  monnraents ; 
among  others  there  is  one  which  has  become  a  ruin 
before  completion  ;  it  was  d(>signed  to  surpass  any 
monument  in  the  world,  and  to  commemorate  the 
great  deeds  of  George  Washington.  Congress  re- 
cently passed  an  Act  providing  for  its  completion, 
but  he  must  be  a  sanguine  man  who  expects  to  live 
till  it  is  finished. 

The  anticipations  of  the  founders  of  this  city  have 
not  yet  been  fulfilled  ;  there  is  no  likelihood  that  they 
will  ever  become  realities.  Washington  was  not  sin- 
gular in  predicting  a  grand  future  for  the  capital 
which  bears  his  name.  Mr.  Weld,  who  visited  the 
United  States  in  1795,  writes:  "  liere  is  good  found- 
ation for  thi idling  that  the  Federal  City,  as  soon  as 
the  navigation  is  perfected,  will  increase  most  rapidly, 
and  that  at  a  future  day,  if  the  affairs  of  the  United 
States  go  on  as  prosperously  as  they  have  done,  it  will 
become  the  Grand  Emporium  of  the  West,  and  rival 
in  magnitude  and  splendour  the  cities  of  the  old 
world."  ^  Miss  Martineau,  who  was  at  Washington 
in  1835,  when  time  had  been  afforded  for  some  indi- 
cation of  the  result  which  had  been  foretold  and 
hoped  for,  saw  no  token  of  it ;  hence  her  conclusion  : 
"  The  city  is  a  grand  mistake.  Its  only  attraction  is 
its  being  the  seat  of  Government ;  and  it  is  thought 
that  it  will  not  long  continue  to  be  so.  The  Far 
Western  States  begin  to  demand  a  more  central  seat 
for  Congress ;  and  the  Cincinnati  people  are  already 
speculating  upon  which  of  their  new  hills  or  table- 

»   Isaac  Wold's  "  Travels,"  vol.  i.  p.  SO. 


THE    DISTRICT   OF    COLUMBIA. 


IGl 


lauds  is  to  be  tlio  site  of  the  new  Capital."  ^  Thougli 
Washington  stands  where  it  did,  and  the  hopes  of 
the  people  of  Cincinnati  have  been  so  long  deferred 
as  to  appear  vai.^  as  well  as  unsatisfying,  yet  the 
feeling  in  favour  of  removing  the  Capital  has  not 
died  out.  St.  Louis  thinks  its  title  superior  to  that 
of  Cincinnati,  and  Omaha  urges  that  its  situation  has 
the  undeniable  merit  of  being  the  most  central  of 
all  the  places  suggested.  Happily,  I  have  not  to 
arbitrate  between  contending  claims,  or  to  point  out 
the  spot  which  seems  best  adapted  for  the  purpose. 
These  are  matters  about  which  there  will  be  a  pro- 
longed and  an  envenomed  controversy.  It  is  quite 
possible,  however,  that  before  a  second  century 
shall  have  been  added  to  the  age  of  the  Republic,  the 
city  of  Washington  will  have  ceased  to  be  the  Capital 
of  the  Union. 

•  "  Eetrospcct  of  Western  Travel,"  vol.  i.  p.  2G6. 


M 


102 


X. 


!     ' 


THR  CAPITAL  OF   THE  COMMOxWVEALTII   OF   MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  Oriental  potentate  who  fancied  tliat  Germany 
was  near  Leipzig  would  not  have  given  serious 
offence  to  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  had  he  also 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  tlie  United  States  of 
America  are  somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
their  city.  The  fellow-countrymen  of  the  good 
folks  of  Massachusetts  are  wont  to  ridicule  tlieiu 
for  thinking  that  the  universe  revolves  round  the 
capital  of  their  State.  Bostonians  certainly  have  a 
high  opinion  of  themselves  and  take  pride  in  their 
city,  and  they  have  sufficient  reason,  for  so  thinking 
and  feeling.  No  other  capital  in  the  United  States 
dates  from  the  year  10:30.  It  is  true  that  other 
cities  are  still  older,  St.  Augustine,  in  Florida,  was 
founded  by  the  S;  -tniards  nearly  half  a  century 
before  the  first  English  settlement  was  established 
in  Virginia  and  the  city  of  Jamestown  was  built. 
The  old  capital  of  Virginia  is  now  a  shapeless  ruin. 
Sixteen  years  before  Governor  Winthrop  built  the  first 
house  on  the  peninsula  whereon  Boston  stands,  the 
Dutch  had  founded  New  Amsterdam  on  the  island 
of  Manhattan,  a  city  which  is  now  better  known  as 
New  York.  The  Pilgrim  Fathers  founded  Plymouth 
ten  years  before  the  Puritans  sailed  for  Massachu- 


CAPITAL  OF  TUK  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.    1  03 


setts,  yet,  tliougli  tin's  place  like  Charlestown  is  older 
than  Boston,  both  failed  to  make  the  same  progress 
or  to  attain  the  commanding  position  which  she  did, 
for  Plymouth,  along  with  the  settlement  of  New 
Plymouth  whereof  she  was  the  capital,  lias  been  in- 
corporated with  Massachusetts,  while  Charlestowu 
has  become  an  integral  part  of  the  city  of  Boston. 
Thus  the  latter  city  can  boast  alike  of  an  antiquity 
exceeding  two  centuries  and  a  quarter,  and  of  a 
never-ceasing  growth  in  opulence  and  power. 

If  the  project  of  celebrating  the  Centenary  of  tlio 
Republic  by  an  International  Exhibition  had.  not 
originated  in  Philadelphia,  many  reasons  might  have 
been  urged  why  a  space  in  Boston  should  be  the  site 
of  thn  Exhibition.  While  the  former  city  contains 
the  Hall  where  the  Independence  of  the  Colonics 
was  declared,  the  latter  contains  the  Hall  where 
the  cradle  of  Liberty  was  rocked.  The  whole 
history  of  Massachusetts  is  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. The  original  settlers  were  ready  to 
acknowledge  the  duty  of  the  Motherland  to  protect 
them,  and  they  were  confident  as  to  their  right  to 
do  what  seemed  best  in  their  own  eyes.  It  is  quite 
possible,  however,  that  their  descendants  might  have 
been  so  humoured  as  to  have  acquiesced  in  remain- 
ing partners  in  the  British  Enq)ire.  Had  they  been 
permitted  to  trade  with  foreign  powers  and  to  carry 
on  home  manufactures  as  freely  as  those  persons  who 
are  now  proud  of  belonging  to  that  Empire,  it  is  not 
improbable  that  they  would  have  set  less  store  upon 
absolute  separation,  and  would  have  turned  deaf 
ears  alike  to  the  inflammatory  sermons  of  the  llev. 
Jonathan  Mayhew  and  the  envenomed  speeches  of 
Mr.  Samuel  Adams.      But  the  desire  to  bo  iude- 

M  2 


fe-fii^ii' 


..„  Jirj^v..  ~:TTgr.v7j«-ji  I 


]  G  t 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


(A 


.1 

li:; 

\  ■'... 


pendent   wliich  led    the  eurly  settlers  to  trent  the 
land  iis  their  freehold,  and  to  expel  from  it  all  who 
threatened  to  interfere  with  their  elaim  to  absolute 
])ossession  and  control,  wlu^ther  this  took  the  form 
of  protests  from  Roger  W^illiams,  of  prophecies  hy 
]\Irs.  Anne  Hutchinson,  of  witness  borne  by  irre- 
pressible (Quakers,  never  ceased  to  be  potential,  even 
when  it  appeared  to  be  merely  a  tradition,  nnd  Avas 
revived   rather  than  created  when   the  imposition  of 
the  Stamp  Act  gave  an  excuse  for  its  manifestation 
in  riots,  when  the  demand  to  obey  Writs  of  Assist- 
ance and  to  pay  a  duty  on  tea  gave  a  warrant  for 
Otis    protesting  in    impassioned    langunge    against 
domestic  interference,  and  the  IMohawks  an  oppor- 
tunity   to    exliibit    tli>      popnlar    determination    by 
casting  the  cargoes  of  the  tea-ships  into  the  watci-, 
and  when  it  tinally  nerved  the  iidiabitants  to  resist 
the  Royal  forces  w^ith  the  sword  till  they  were  forced 
to  evacuate  the  city  in  dismay.     No  other  city  in 
the  United  States  incarnates  the  pi'inciple  of  inde- 
jUMident    anthority    moi*e    completely    than   Boston. 
Few  other  cities  in  the  woi-ld  have  shown  more  emi- 
clusively   how  to   deal   with    traitors  than    she   has 
done.     When    the  struggle  for  the  independence  of 
the  Thirteen  Colonies  had  been  crowned  with   the 
desired   success,   men  whom  we   should   now   style 
Communists    banded    themselves     togetlier     under 
Daniel  Shays,  fighting  for  an  idea  as  others  did  in 
the  cjipital  of  France  under  Dombrowski.     But  the 
citizens  of  Massachusetts  made  quick  work  with  the 
enemies  of  all  order,  risking  their  lives  to  suppress 
a  dangerous  insurrection,  and  acting  with  a  vigour 
Avhich  would  have  been  followed  by  a  similar  and 
speetly  triumph  had  the  friends  of  order,  who  formed 


CAriTAL  OF  TIIK  COMMONWEALXn  OF  MASSACIUISKTTS.    105 

\]\o  majority  in  the  ranks  of  tlio  Parisian  National 
Guard,  hcvn  equally  alert  and  brave.  During  tlio 
ii;reat  civil  war,  which  imperilled  the  unity  of  the 
country,  an  ntteinj^t  was  made  to  raise  the  standard 
of  revolt  in  Boston  ;  but  a  few  whiffs  of  cannon- 
shot  swept  away  alike  the  rinsj^leadcrs  and  their 
canse.  So  long  as  the  ])eople  of  this  city  retain  tlm 
virtues  of  their  forefathers,  it  Avill  be  easy  for  the 
least-informed  person  to  point  to  one  place  where 
the  people  can  ])oth  govern  themselves  admirably, 
and  serve  as  a  model  to  those  persons  who  arc 
anxious  to  discover  the  maximum  of  liberty  united 
with  the  maximum  of  i>-ood  o^overnniont. 

A  year  before  the  Republic  celebrated  the  cente- 
nary of  its  existence,  the  city  of  Boston  celebrated 
the  battle  which,  though  a  British  victory,  yet  con- 
tributed in  no  small  degree  to  convert  colonial 
independence  from  a  theory  into  a  fact.  That  tight, 
to  which  the  name  of  Bunker  Hill  is  commonly  but 
inaccurately  given,  was  regarded  on  its  hundredth 
anniversary  less  as  a  national  struggle  against  a 
common  foe  than  as  a  happy  opportunity  for  testify- 
ing that  the  memories  of  a  later  and  bloodii-r  fratri- 
cidal contest  had  been  purged  of  ill-will,  and  that 
the  time  had  come  for  Northerners  and  Southerners 
again  to  join  hands  as  brethren. 

On  the  17th  of  ]\Iarch,  187(),  nearly  two  months 
before  the  opening  of  the  Exhibition  at  Philadel[)liia, 
the  forced  evacuation  of  the  city  ])y  the  troops  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  a  hundred  years  pre- 
viously was  celebrated  in  a  hearty,  yet  most  credit- 
able manner.  The  historic  spots  were  decorated 
with  flags  by  day  and  lit  up  with  lamps  by  night. 
A  lar^xe  <i:atlierin<T:  of  the  citizens  assembled  in  the 


H 


tit  Hi 


rjBfffT'    ' 


inC) 


COLUMRTA   AND   CANADA. 


if 

,1    i'':k 


]\Iu.sic  Hall  to  hoar  tlio  storv  of  tlio  siege  anil  evacua- 
tion told  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ellis.  The  Governor  and 
the  Lieutenant-Go vei'nor  of  Massachusetts,  tlio 
members  of  tlio  Le<^islature  and  the  C'ity  Council, 
the  Mayor  and  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  -were  among  the  audience.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
]\lanniug,  wlio  opened  the  proceedings  with  prayer, 
after  thanking  God  for  the  great  dehveranco  they 
had  met  to  celebrate,  added,  "  We  thank  Thee  tliat 
tlie  ]\Iother  country,  that  Old  Knghmd  whose  op- 
pressions provoked  our  fatliers  to  take  up  arms 
against  her,  is  to-day  our  firm  friend  and  ally  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth ;  and  that  the  mother  and 
daughter  are  united  in  efforts  to  maintain  a  spirit 
of  peace  and  goodwill  between  themselves,  and  to 
extend  the  blessings  of  a  Christian  civilization 
throughout  the  world."  The  Mayor,  who  followed 
with  a  speech,  after  recalling  how  the  Bunker  Hill 
celebration  had  tended  to  cement  amity,  went  on  to 
say, — "  In  a  like  spirit  we  will  celebrate  this  anni- 
versary of  the  evacuation,  hoping,  amid  the  grateful 
and  patriotic  memories  that  cluster  about  the  occa- 
sion, to  strengthen  still  further  the  bonds  of  concord 
between  the  lately  hostile  sections  of  the  country, 
and  also  the  relations  of  cordial  amity  between  the 
revolted  colonics  and  the  Mother  country — foes  a 
hundred  years  ago,  but  friends  to-day  by  every 
motive  of  mutual  interest  and  every  sentiment  of 
insliip,  and  every  generous  hope  for  the  world's 
peace  and  the  progress  of  humanity." 

In  tlic  oration  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  ElHs,  the 
story  of  the  siege  was  told  with  great  effect.  When 
lie  came  to  narrate  some  of  the  succeeding  events, 
such  as  the  proclamation  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 


CAHTAL  OF  THE  COMMO\WR.M/rn  OF  MASS.VCriQSKTTS.    1G7 


I)(Mi(l(Mico,  Dr.  EIH;*  described  how,  on  the  followiiiL^ 
(l;iy,  the  emblems  of  royalty  were  removed  from  tlio 
public  ])laccs.  One  of  these,  the  oaken  tablet  on 
which  the  royal  arms  were  carved,  and  which  was 
alHxed  to  the  Province  Honse,  the  otticial  residenco 
of  His  j\rajesty's  Governor,  liad  becTi  preserved,  and 
it  was  shown  to  the  audience  by  Dr.  Ellis,  who 
I'cniai'ked,  "  I  have  not  brought  this  royal  memorial 
tablet  hero  and  put  it  to  this  use  to-day  with  any 
intent  to  do  it  slight  or  dishonour,  but  as  a  valued 
I'clic,  suggestive  of  days  and  relaticms  long  past.  I 
do  not  forget,  but  rather  tenderly  remember,  tliat 
tli(!  Queenly  Lady  who  now  bears  that  pre  ud 
escutcheon,  with  her  lamented  Prince  Consort, 
re-strained  her  royal  power  from  any  other  exei'ciso 
tliiin  that  of  a  noble  and  generous  sympathy  during 
the  distractions  of  our  sad  civil  conflict.  1  saw  the 
crown  placed  u))on  her  head  on  her  coronation  day 
in  Westminster  Abbey,  and  have  loved  ever  since  to 
trace  her  serene  course  of  dignity  and  Hd(}lity  as  a 
wife,  mother,  and  Queen  of  her  magnificent  empire. 
And  if  our  story  to-day  has  dealt  harshly  with  one 
who  filled  the  throne  before  her,  let  us  not  close  it 
without  the  expression  of  our  profoundest  homage 
and  respect  to  Queen  Victoria,  not  our  Sovereign — 
except  that,  as  the  highest  lady  in  the  world,  sho 
should  be  such  to  all  men — but  as  our  ally  and  our 
friend."  The  foregoing  passages  prove  that  on  a 
gi-eat  historical  occasion  the  peoj)le  of  ^Massachusetts 
can  display  an  attitude  which  demonstrates  their 
own  worthiness.  Alike  in  the  revolutionary  and  in 
the  civil  conflict  they  exhibited  their  heroism  on  the 
battle-field;  they  have  shown  themselves  to  be  as 
capable  and  praiseworthy  in  peace  as  in  war.     When 


%'l 


^jivninnia 


1G8 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


Soutliern  fire-eaters  determined  in  IS  12  to  enter 
into  hostilities  Avitli  the  United  Kingdom  for  an 
object  wliicli,  when  the  treaty  of  peace  Avas  signed 
at  Ghent  in  1814,  was  not  even  mentioned  in  the 
articles,  and  which  really  meant  the  snbj ligation  and 
annexation  of  Canada  by  force  of  arms,  the  chief 
States  in  New  England  declined  the  snramons  to 
call  ont  their  militia,  and,  while  the  shipping  in  tlic 
harbour  of  Baltimore  was  g:iy  witli  flags  upon  war 
being  declared,  tlie  shipping  in  the  harbour  of 
Jioston  hoisted  its  col(nn\s  half-mast  high  in  token 
of  mourning.  It  is  sufficient  to  read  the  solemn 
protest  which  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
addressed  to  Congress,  to  underst-md  the  iniquitous 
character  of  that  war. 

In  iN'ew  England,  it  is  not  the  rule  to  manifest 
rnncour  and  malice  towards  this  country.  Many 
reasons  might  be  given  for  this,  yet  the  fundamental 
cause  could  not  be  set  forth  more  tiuccinctly  than 
was  done  hj  IVFr.  Ticknor  when  writing  to  Miss 
E.lcroworth  in  1844.  His  views,  whicli  were  the 
result  of  ample  knowledge,  were  those  of  an  ardent 
patriot.  Afr  -r  having  seen  nearly  every  person  and 
placo  of  note  in  Europe,  he  still  thought  that  there 
was  no  spot  in  the  world  like  Boston,  and  no  people 
superior  to  his  countrymen.  He  Ti'.us  wrote  in  the 
letter  referred  to  : — "  We  are  still  children  of  Old 
England;  and  if  we  were  not,  Ave  should  still  be 
doino:  substantiallv  the  same  ^hino-s,  for  we  are  all 
of  us  children  of  one  family ;  connected  by  original 
qualities  Avhich  will  noAcr  permit  us  to  get  very  far 
apart,  f^ven  if  we  try."  This  substantial  identity  of 
i'ac(^  does  not,  however,  exclude  great  diversity  of 
action    and    thought.     All     water    is    composed    of 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  C'OMMO^■^VE.^  r.TII  OF  JlASSACIiUSKTTS.    IdO 


oxygen  and  h3^drogen,  yet  the  strata  tlirouu^li  wliicli 
a  s{)!'ing  rises,  or  the  contents  of  tho  atmosphere 
through  which  rain  falls,  may  render  water  as 
different  in  certain  localities  as  if  it  wei'e  an  entirely 
distiu"^,  elementary  product.  The  conditions  uikUt 
which  'lie  English  stock  has  subsisted  in  Xew 
England  have  been  such  as  to  ;dter  it  matei'ially. 
Ill  no  other  part  of  tho  Continent  has  it  become 
more  distinctively  American.  Th>'  ideas  which  have 
heretofore  moulded  the  national  lite  of  the  country 
li;ivc  gone  forth  from  New  England,  and  the  per- 
ceptible changes  now  in  ju'ogress  in  the  Western 
;nid  Pacific  States  are  due  to  this  intlueuce  having 
ceased  to  be  supreme. 

The  divergence  between  the  two  Englands  is 
most  marked  on  the  fundamental  principles  of  poli- 
tical economy.  Not  even  in  Pennsylvania  are  more 
unbending  protectionists  to  be  found  than  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. The  doctrine  of  encourau'inn:  native 
industry  is  there  an  article  of  faith  which  it  would 
he  a  crime  to  challenge,  and  treason  not  to  (h^fend 
to  the  death.  The  best  educated  men,  and  tho 
most  ably  conducted  newspapei's  regard  Free  trade 
with  the  loathing  and  dread  which,  their  foreftithers 
exlul)ited  towards  Quakers  and  witches,  and  with 
which  Eno'lisli  statesmen,  a  century  airo,  reu'arded 
the  free-trade  notions  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
England.  Any  one  Avho  discusses  the  question  with 
th.'in  is  certain  to  be  told  that  Great  Tiritain  main- 
taiiiod  Protection  till  she  had  built  up  her  industries, 
and  substituted  Free  trade  for  it  when  the  latter 
was  found  to  pay  better,  and  that  tlie  United  States 
will  attain  a  like  prosperity  by  following  an  iden- 
tical  course.     Unhajjpily  the   subject  is   never  con- 


m 


170 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


sidercd  by  those  reasoners  in  its  larger  aspect ;  tlio 
welfare  of  mankind  being  tlien  placed  above  tlio 
selfish  interest  of  a  nation.  When  thns  viewed,  it 
is  clear  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt  that  neither 
the  action  of  Greal  l^ritain,  nor  any  benefit  u'hich 
may  have  accrued  to  iier,  is  of  the  slightest  conse- 
quence in  its  bearing  upon  tlie  question  at  issue. 
Free  trade  is  neither  a  mere  crotchet  of  speculative 
writers  nor  a  conspiracy  entered  into  by  Bi'itisli 
traders  and  statesmen  for  their  own  enrichment  at 
tlie  expense  of  the  people  of  other  countries  ;  but,  to 
employ  the  definition  of  ]\I.  Chevalier,  "  it  is  tlie 
free  exercise  of  human  power  and  faculties  in  all 
commercial  and  professional  life  ;*  it  is  the  liberty  of 
labour  in  its  grandest  proportions."  I  need  not 
pursue  the  matter  in  detail.  I  have  referre'l  to  it 
because  it  is  an  important  factor  in  New  England 
politics ;  and  1  think  thiit  a  change  is  not  to  bo 
looked  for  so  soon  as  some  persons  expect. 

At  present,  when  comparisons  between  the 
younger  and  older  days  of  tlie  Republic  seem  per- 
fectly natural,  it  ma}'  not  be  uninteresting  to  show 
what  were  the  opinions  prevailing  immediately  after 
the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  At  a  meeting 
of  merchnnts,  meclianics,  and  traders,  held  in 
Faneuil  Hall  towards  the  end  of  1781,  it  was  re- 
solved that  none  of  the  Boston  inercliantd  or  traders 
should  liave  any  dealings  with  l^ritish  merchants  or 
their  agents,  those  present  at  the  meeting  i)ledgiiig 
tliemselves  :  "  that  we  will  not  let,  or  sell,  any  ware- 
hoese,  shop,  house,  or  aii}'^  other  place  for  the  sale  of 
British  goods,  noi-  will  we  employ  any  persons  who 
will  assist  British  nierc;h;nits,  factors,  or  agents,  by 
trucks,  carts,  barrows,  or   labour  (except  in  the  re- 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACnrSETTS.    171 


shipment  of  tlicir  merchandize),  but  will  discounte- 
nance all  sucli  persons,  who  shall  in  any  way  advise, 
or  in  the  least  degree  help  or  support  such  merchants, 
factors,  or  agents,  in  the  ]n^os(^cution  of  their  busi- 
ness ;  as  we  conceive  all  such  British  importations 
are  calculated  to  drain  us  of  our  currency,  and  have 
a  direct  tendency  to  impoverish  this  country."  These 
notions  were  the  reverse  of  Avhat  a  great  Bostoniau 
entertained  and  ex])ressed.  In  the  same  year.  Dr. 
Franklin  su])plied  Avhat  he  called  "  Iiifoi'mation  to 
those  who  would  remove  to  America,"  and  said, 
among  other  things,  "  Tlio  buying  up  quantities  of 
wool  and  flax,  with  tlie  design  to  employ  spinners, 
weavers,  &c.,  and  form  large  establishments,  pro- 
dneing  quantities  of  linen  and  woollen  goods  for 
sale,  has  been  several  times  attempted  in  different 
provinces ;  but  those  projects  have  generally  failed, 
goods  of  equal  value  being  imported  cheaper  And 
Vv'licn  the  Governments  [of  the  several  States]  liave 
been  solicited  to  support  such  schemes  by  encourage- 
ments in  money,  or  by  imposing  duties  on  importa- 
tion of  such  goods,  it  lias  been  generally  refused,  on 
this  principle,  that  if  the  country  is  ripe  for  the 
manuf^icture  it  maybe  carried  on  by  private  persons 
to  advantage,  and  if  not,  it  is  folly  to  think  of 
forcing  nature.  .  .  .  The  manufacture  of  silk,  they 
say,  is  natural  in  Franco,  as  that  of  cloth  in  England, 
because  each  country  produces  in  plenty  the  first 
material  ;  but  if  England  will  have  a  manufacture 
of  silk  as  that  of  cloth,  and  France  one  of  cloth  as 
\v<  11  as  that  of  silk,  these  unnatural  operations  must 
be  supported  by  mutual  prohiljitions,  or  higlier 
duties  on  the  im|)ortatio?i  of  each  other's  goods,  by 
whicli   means    the  workmen  are  enabled  to  tax  the 


Tftrrr 


^ 


172 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


liomo  consumer  by  greater  prices,  while  tlie  liiglier 
wages  tliey  receive  make  tliem  neither  lia])|)ier  nor 
riclier,  since  they  will  only  drink  more  and  work 
less.  Tliei'oforo  the  Governments  in  America  do 
nothing  to  encourage  such  projerts.  The  people  Ijy 
this  means  are  not  imposed  on  either  by  the  mer- 
chant or  mechanic ;  if  the  merchant  demands  too 
much  profit  on  imported  shoes,  tliey  buy  of  the 
shoemaker,  and  it*  lie  asks  too  high  a  price,  tluy 
tnke  them  of  the  merchant.  Thus  the  two  pr.^^fes- 
sions  are  checks  on  each  other."  '  If  these  uttera^  ces 
are  words  of  wisdom,  then  the  prevailing  policy  in 
the  United  States  is  foolishness,  being  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  policy  of  which  Franklin  was  the 
able  framer  and  the  warm  advocate.  The  citizens  of 
]3oston  have  erected  a  statue  to  liim  in  front  of  the 
City  Hall ;  they  glory  in  him  as  a  fellow-countryman 
whose  patriotism  is  without  ro])roach  and  whose 
fame  fills  the  world  ;  but  they  refrain  from  yielding 
that  highest  honour  to  h's  memory  which  consists 
in  ])aying  due  homnge  to  his  teaching.  A  small 
renumnt  rejects  the  dominant  views  in  ])oUtical 
economy.  Professor  Dunbar,  at  Harvard  llnlvcl'- 
sity,  teaches  those  Free  trade  doctrines  which  it  is 
easier  to  reject  than  to  confute.  In  New  York  a 
larger  body,  of  which  Mr.  W.  C.  Bryant  is  one  of 
the  ornaments,  labours  to  pronudgate  those  doc- 
trines. So  confident  is  Mr.  Bryant  of  the  result, 
that  he  emphatically  says,  in  the  preface  he  has 
written  to  the  "  History  of  the  United  States,'' 
which  bi'ars  his  name, — "  The  manufacturers  arc 
not  likely  to  give  up  without  a  struggle  what  they 

■'■   '  Fraukliu's  Wuik.s  vol.  v.  p.  140. 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  COMMOXWEALTH  OF  MASSACnUSETTS.    1  73 


Ix'liove  SO  essential  to  their  prosperity,  and  tlie  friends 
of  Free  trade,  proverbially  tenacious  of  their  purpose, 
are  not  likely  to  be  satisfied  while  there  is  left  in  the 
ti'Xture  of  our  revenue  laws  a  single  thread  of  Pro- 
tection which  their  ingenuity  can  detect,  or  their 
skill  can  draw  out." 

The  changes  in  the  outward  appearance  of  Bos- 
ton, since  my  last  visit,  are  very  great.  Part  of 
these  are  due  to  the  fire  which  swept  away  eight 
liundred  buildings  in  the  business  quarter,  the  loss 
being  estimated  at  aboat  £20,000,000,  and  part  to 
tiie  erection  of  new  dwelling-houses  and  churches 
on  the  land  reclaimed  from  the  Charles  River.  In 
ri'buildino'  ilic  warehouses  and  merchants'  offices 
Avliich  had  been  destroyed,  architectural  effect  has 
been  studied.  Some  of  the  new  structures  are  too 
fine  and  too  costly.     The  rents  are  very  high. 

The  dwelling-houses  erected  on  the  land  reclaimed 
from  tlie  river  are  comfortable  in  their  internal 
arrangements  and  attractive  externally.  Indeed, 
Commonwealth  Avenue,  Avhich  is  now  the  principal 
thorouglifare,  has  eelii)sed  Beacon  Street,  Avhich 
used  to  be  the  abode  of  all  the  oldest,  most  exclusive 
and  opulent  families  in  Bt)ston.  The  plan  after 
which  the  new  streets  are  named  is  very  convenient, 
and  is,  I  think,  novel.  All  thoso  which  bisect 
Commonv/ealth  Avenue,  such  as  Arlington  Street, 
Berkeley  Street,  Clarendon  Street,  begin  with  a  letter 
in  alphabetical  succession.  The  houses  are  in  keep- 
ing throughout,  the  promise  of  the  exteHor  being 
amply  fulfilled  by  the  luxuries  of  the  interior.  One 
of  them,  whicli  impressed  me  greatly,  is  a  note- 
worthy reproduction  of  au  Old  English  house.     It 


r^TT^-^^ 


174 


COLUMBIA    AXD    CANADA. 


belongs  to  Dr.  J.  R.  Cbadwick,  a  young  medical 
man,  who  is  rising  to  cminonco  in  that  important 
branch  of  his  ])rofcssion  wlierein  the  late  Sir  James 
Simpson  excelled.  If  the  earliest  and  greatest  Go- 
vernors  )f  Massachusetts,  Winthrop,  Dudley,  and 
Endecott,  were  to  enter  this  house,  they  Avould  feel 
themselves  more  at  home  in  Dr.  Chadwick's  dining. 
room  than  in  any  other  place  in  the  city.  They 
would  tread  a  polished  wooden  floor,  and  see  bay- 
windows  filled  with  lozenge-shaped  panes  of  glass, 
such  as  were  familiar  to  them  in  the  comfortable 
homes  of  Old  and  New  England.  The  spacious  fire- 
place, in  which  wooden  logs  are  laid  across  andirons, 
would  recall  to  their  memories  many  happy  or 
thoughtful  hours  spent  in  youth  or  manhood  beside 
the  blazing  hearth.  The  SAvords,  shields,  and  hel- 
mets  affixed  to  the  wall  above  the  fireplace  would 
remind  them  of  th(^  weapons  and  armour  which  tluy 
had  worthily  wielded  and  worn,  and  would  seem  far 
more  suitable  in  their  eyes  than  the  simple  garb  (jf 
the  unarmed  citizens  whom  they  saw  in  the  streets. 
They  might  think  that  the  armchair,  in  whicli  the 
rigid  form  of  mediaDval  outline  was  tempered  hj  soft 
cushions  to  suit  the  tired  frames  of  the  present  genc- 
tion,  a  cunning  tem]itation  to  sloth;  but  they  would 
bo  able  t^  sit,  as  they  were  wont  to  do,  on  higli- 
})acked  Elizabethan  chairs  aroimd  the  octagonal  oak 
dining-table.  There,  sumptuous  dishes  such  as  they 
never  tasted  before,  and  wines  from  the  best  vintrges 
of  Bordeaux  and  Champagne,  might  appear  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  rough  fare  which  they  were  glad 
to  procure,  and  the  ale  which  they  used  to  consider 
a  great  treat.  In  the  snug  study,  they  would  ob- 
serve other  things  to  remind  them  of  their  olden 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS.    175 


liomes ;  the  spectacle  would  make  Governor  Diulley 
tbt'l  that  the  colony  which  he  helped  to  plant,  had 
iiiarvellonsly  changed  since  the  day  in  ]\[arch,  1G31, 
when,  in  his  letter   to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln,  he 
made  excuse  for  imperfections  by  setting  forth  his 
miserable  condition,  "  having  yet  no  table,  nor  other 
room  to  write  in,  than  by  the  fireside  upon  my  knee, 
in  this  sharp  winter ,  to  which  my  family  must  havo 
leave  to  resort,  though  they  break  good  manners, 
and  make  me  many  times  forget  what  I  would  sny, 
and  say  what  I  would  not."     I  fear  that  the  luxu- 
rious decorations  and  furniture  of  the  drawing-room 
and  bedrooms,  though    fashioned    on  Old  English 
models,  would  seem  to  them  far  in  excess  of  what 
sinful  mortals  ought  to  enjoy,  and  they  might  leave 
their  excellent  host  and  his  charming  wife  with  the 
conviction  that   it  would   be  necessary  to   send  the 
Rev.  John  Cotton  to  "  deal  "  with  them.     1  fear  also, 
if  the  Rev.  John  Cotton  or  any  other  zealous  minister 
of  Puritan  days  were  to  revisit  Boston,  he  would  have 
to  "  deal"  with  so  many  persons  that  he  would  bo 
glad  enough  to  return  whence  he  came.     The  Rev. 
Cotton  Mather,  however,  would  pardon  many  tokens 
of  a  rational  desire  to  make  this  world  as  comfort- 
able as   possible,    when   ho    learned   that   spiritual 
manifestations  were  now  common  in  the  city  which 
once  showed  a  wholesome  scepticism  about  his  own 
belief  in  demons  going  about  and  working  mischief ; 
he  would  flatter  himself  with  the  thought  that  his 
"  Wonders   of    the    Invisible    World "    had    borno 
fruit. 

Perhaps  it  is  as  well  that  the  founders  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts  Bay  cannot  revisit  the 
scene  of  their  labours.     Though  Boston  is  still  a 


Tfl^- 

»I.  \.J 


176 


COLUMniA   AND   CANADA. 


i  ; 


ii-:8 


1 

L 

! 

i 

God-fearhig  and  excinpbiry  city,  yet  its  ways  arc  not 
those  wliicli  tlie  orifj^inal  settlers  deemed  essential  to 
Iniinnn  happiness.     The  early  rnlers  and  divines  who 
carried    their  theories  into  eflPect  with  unswervino^ 
precision  would  find,  if  they  were  to  return,  that 
better  results  have  been  obtained  by  the  acceptance 
and  practice  of  opposite  theories.     People  are  now 
allowed  to  go  to  heaven  in  their  own  way,  instead  of 
beino;  threatened  with  a  terrible  doom  unless  thev 
walk  in  the  narrow  path  marked  out  for  them,  and, 
in  the  event  of  proving  obstinate,  being  subjected  to 
exile  or  imprisonment,  whipping  or  hanging.     They 
may  spend  a  pleasant  evening  in  a  theatre  without 
being   shunned  by   strait-laced  neighbours,  and  a>;- 
sured,  by  the  bestowers  of  good  advice,  that  they  are 
on  the  high  road  to  perdition.     Formerh^,  the  con- 
gregational form  of  divine  service   was  alone  per- 
mitted here.     Now,  the    Episcopalian,  the    Roman 
Catholic,  the  Baptist,  the  Quaker,  may  worship  God 
in  his  own  way,  without  any  man  making  him  afraid. 
Disputes  about  religion  are  now  confined  to  words  ; 
the  logical  figure  of  a  sorites,  which  old-world  per- 
secutors loved  to   employ  In  the  form  of  a  pile  of 
faggots,  as  well  as  the  geometrical  figure  of  a  tri- 
angle with  a  rope  dangling  from  one  corner,  which 
was  sometimes  called  into  rcouisition  in  New  Emr- 
land  in  order  to    exterminate    heresy,  are  happily 
among  the  traditions  of  evil  days  which  have  long 
ago   departed.      Since   Abner  Kneeland  underwent 
imprisonment   for    blasphemy    in    1839,    the    civil 
rights  of  those  persons  who   are  avowedly  of  little 
faith  have  received  impartial  protection.     Zeal  has 
not  abated ;  on  the  contrary,  other- worldliness  has 
gained  in  influence  what  it  has  lost  in  privilege.     It 


PAPITAL  OF  TITE  OOMMONWRAr/ril  OF  MASSAPriLISETTS.  177 


is  now  necessary  to  appeal  to  tlie  reason  in  order  to 
gain  converts,  and,  if  godliness  is  to  be  reckoned  by 
cliiircli-building  and  church -going,  then  Boston  has 
lost  none  of  its  old  reputation.  The  rivalry  between 
tlie  sects  is  not  less  keen  because  they  are  all  equal 
iu  the  eye  of  the  law.  Though  tlie  members  of  ono 
congregation  cannot  invoke  the  ]\Iagistrate's  aid  to 
punish  the  members  of  another,  yet  they  can  please 
themselves  with  contemplating  what  they  believe 
will  be  their  fate  hereafter.  On  this  head,  as  on 
many  other  matters,  the  words  of  Franklin  may  bo 
repeated  : — "  With  regard  to  future  bliss,  I  cannot 
lielp  imagining  that  multitudes  of  the  zealously  or- 
tliodox  of  different  sects,  who  at  the  last  day  may 
flock  together  in  hopes  of  seeing  each  other  damned 
will  be  disappointed,  and  obliged  to  rest  content  with 
their  own  salvation." 

While  the  errors  of  the  early  Puritans  in  matters 
of  church  government  and  discipline  have  been  ad- 
mitted and  amended,  other  errors  into  which  they 
fell  have  been  accepted  as  models  for  modern  legis- 
lation. One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  General  Court  of 
]\rassachusetts  v  as  to  order  the  destruction  of  Richard 
Clough's  *'  stro  o  water,"  on  the  ground  that  its  use 
liad  occasioned  drunkenness  and  disorder.  It  was 
natural  for  the  Puritan  fathers  not  only  to  dictate 
what  should  be  done  in  questions  of  ecclesiastical 
polity,  but  also  to  decree  what  men  should  eat, 
drink,  and  how  they  should  be  clothed.  In  the  bad 
old  times,  sumptuary  laws  and  religious  persecutio;i 
Were  matters  of  course.  Yet  enlightened  men  of 
our  day,  who  would  shudder  at  a  proposal  to  take  a 
man  to  task  for  his  religious  opinions,  think  that  they 
are  pcj'forming  their  duty  to  the  community  by  for- 

N 


178 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


'<  ! 


ri-f 


l)i(1dint^  a  man  to  drink  anytliiiiu^  containing  alcolinl. 
Tlioy  have  promulgated  tliis  now  social  commaiid- 
monton  their  own  authority — "  ^Pliou  shalt  not  drink 
anything  nioro  ])otGnt  than  lomouiidc" 

When  I  last  visited  Boston,  nothing  stronger  tlijiii 
lemonade  could  be  obtained  in  a  bar-room.  In  the 
one  attached  to  the  Tarker  House,  the  principal  hotel 
in  the  city,  a  notice  to  that  effect  was  posted  ii)). 
Yet  any  one  who  entered  the  restanrant,  sat  down  at 
a  table  and  ordered  a  bottle  of  wine,  beer,  or  spii'its, 
Avas  served  by  the  Avaiter.  Moreover,  it  Avas  allow- 
able to  buy  a  bottle  of  any  of  them  at  a  grocer's  or 
wine  merchant's.  Hence,  the  man  who  wished  foi-  a 
glass  of  these  beverages,  and  could  not  filford  to  piiy 
for  a  bottle,  had  to  be  a  teetotaler  nndor  com- 
pulsion, while  the  man  who  had  a  well-lined  pui'se 
could  drink  as  often  as  he  pleased.  If  this  1)o  not 
legislation  in  favour  of  the  rich  to  the  disadvantan-o 
of  the  poor,  I  do  not  know  what  such  legislation 
means. 

Were  it  possible  for  eloquence  to  supplant  sound 
argument,  I  should  have  become  a  convert  to  tlic 
policy  of  rendering  all  men  sober  by  hindering  any 
man  from  getting  strong  drink ;  for  I  have  heard  a 
speech  by  Mr.  AVendell  Pliilipps  on  the  subject,  and 
he  is  one  of  the  first  of  living  orators.  He  depicted 
in  graphic  terms  the  sad  state  of  the  habitual  tippler 
who  could  not  pass  a  "  grog-shop  "  without  entering 
it,  and  he  upheld  the  paramount  importance  of 
shutting  up  all  "  grog-shops  "  in  order  that  the  weak 
might  not  succumb  to  temptation.  This  is  the 
course  which  has  been  adopted  towards  the  North 
American  Indians.  They  are  regarded  as  children 
and   treated    accordingly,  being  kept   from   strong 


(AriTAI,  (»r  TIIK  ruMMOX\VEAI,TII  oK  MASSACHUSMTTS.   170 


(Iriiik  hocaiiso  tlioy  cannot  tak(»  it  in  moderation. 
Otlun*  men  ])i'i(le  tliemsolv(^s  npoii  having  reaelied  a 
liig'lior  stage  of  infi^lleetnal  (1(  v('lo])mcnt  tlian  tlieso 
|)()0i'  [ndians,  yc\:  it  lias  been  serionsly  proposed  to 
treat  tli(>  white  man,Avliohas  been  tanglit  to  practiso 
self-denial,  as  if  he  were  no  better  than  the  savago 
who  is  nnable  to  bridle  his  appetites.  Daring  Mr. 
Wendell  Philipps'  speech,  I  conld  not  help  recalling 
words  as  elo(pient  as  his,  and  I  think  that  John  Mdton 
inculcated  a  far  nobler  principle,  and  aimed  at  a  much 
higher  ideal,  when  ho  wrote: — "I  cannot  praise  a 
fugitive  and  cloistered  virtue  unexei'cised  and 
uubreathed,  that  never  sallies  out  and  sees  her 
ii(h'ersary,  but  slinks  out  of  the  race  wdiero  that 
innnortal  garment  is  to  be  run  for,  not  without  dust 
and  heat."  It  may  still  be  asked  in  the  Avords  of 
the  same  great  poet,  "  if  any  action  which  is  good 
or  evil  in  man  at  i-ipo  years  were  to  be  under  pittance, 
prescription,  and  compulsi(jn,  what  were  virtue  but 
it  name,  what  praise  could  then  bo  due  to  well- 
doing, what,  gramercy,  to  bo  sober,  just,  and 
continent?"  I  hold  the  legislation  which  aims  at 
making  all  vicn  sober  by  preventing  any  man  from 
practising  the  virtue  of  temperance,  as  an  evil  hardly 
loss  to  be  deplored  than  that  of  drunkenness.  This 
lesson  appears  to  have  been  learned  in  Boston.  The 
repressive  system  has  had  a  fair  trial,  and  has  been 
found  productive  of  mischief.  All  legislative  enact- 
ments or  police  regulations  which  run  counter  to  the 
moral  sense  pi  a  free  community,  serve  only  to  make 
legisl  i.tioi.  a  farce  and  bring  the  law  into  contempt. 
The  b>u -rooms  have  been  reopened  under  licences ; 
regulations  of  a  sensible  kind  have  betn  imposed  and 
:u'e  obeyed.     The  party  which  beheves  in  prohibition 

N  2 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREO 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


180 


COT,lTMB[A    AND    CANADA. 


P. 


Ih 


! 


I 


is  dissatisfied;  but  reasonable  men  do  not  compliiin. 
Indeed,  the  failure  of  the  repressive  system  is 
ascribed  by  its  advocates  to  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
sufl&cicntly  stringent.  I  have  read  the  programme 
of  the  uncompromising  opponents  of  what  is  here 
called  tlie  *'  liquor  traffic,"  and  I  must  admit  that  it 
is  thoroughly  consistent  and  logical.  The  gist  of  it 
is  that  every  brewery  and  distillery  shall  be  closed, 
that  every  vineyard  in  the  land  shall  be  rooted  up, 
that  the  importation  of  all  alcoholic  beverages  shall 
be  prohibited,  so  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  any- 
body to  procure  a  single  drop  of  spirits,  wine,  or 
beer.  This  is  simple,  straightforward,  and  thorough. 
It  provides  for  every  contingency  and  possibility, 
save  those  which  common  sense  and  human  nature 
might  have  in  reserve. 

I  have  describe!  what  I  saw  and  heard  when  tlio 
Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  met  in  Philadel- 
phia. In  Boston  I  was  honoured  with  an  invitation 
to  a  gathering  of  a  very  different  kind,  the  annual 
dinner  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  The 
contrast  was  striking  between  the  meeting  of  the 
men  of  the  sword  and  that  of  the  men  of  the  lancet, 
between  those  whose  glory  is  in  slaughter  and  those 
whose  delight  is  in  prolonging  life,  between  the  heroes 
of  the  battle-field  and  the  saviours  of  the  hospital.  A 
member  of  a  profession  not  less  honourable  than 
either,  I  am  ready  to  do  full  justice  to  both ;  yet,  if 
called  upon  to  give  precedence  to  any  of  them  I 
could  not  hesitate  to  accord  the  first  place  to  that 
which  strives  to  diminish  human  suffering  and 
lengthen  existence,  which  finds  patients  among  those 
of  every  age  and  every  condition,  compelling  even 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACIICSETTS.  181 


m  1 


the  victorioiif?  general  and  incomparable  lawyer  to 
acknowledge  its  superiority  by  invoking  its  aid.  This 
Society  numbers  1400  members ;  its  meetings  are 
licld  yearly  in  the  capital  of  the  State,  and  last  for 
two  days,  the  proceedings  being  concluded  with  a 
dinner.  It  is  not  within  my  sphere  to  notice  the 
professional  business  which  was  transacted,  yet  I  may 
quote  what  Dr.  Crosby  said  on  a  matter  of  general  in- 
terest. He  was  a  visitor  from  Concord  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  he  told  his  brethren  of  Massachusetts  how 
liis  State  had  dealt  with  those  pests  w^hom  he  called 
"  medical  tramps,"  or  whom  we  should  call  "  itinerant 
quack  doctors."  Such  persons  are  not  unknown  in 
this  country ;  in  the  United  States  they  swarm.  Tlio 
Legislature  of  New  Hampshire  having  resolved  to 
rid  their  State  of  these  Sangrados,  passed  an  Act 
imposing  a  penalty  of  100  dollars  a-day  upon  every 
person  practising  therewithout  a  licence.  Dr.  Crosby 
told  his  brethren  the  result  had  been  that,  since  the 
Act  was  in  operation,  "  not  a  single  medical  tramp 
had  remained  throughout  a  whole  day  "  in  his  own 
city  of  Concord,  and  that  the  city  of  Manchester  had 
saved  10,000  dollars  during  the  last  year. 

About  a  thousand  members  of  the  society  were 
present  at  the  dinner,  which  took  place  in  the 
]\Iusic  Hall.  I  never  before  saw  so  many  doctors 
enjoying  a  holiday,  nor  had  I  ever  seen  the  like 
number  of  persons  in  the  United  States  present  such 
distinct  tokens  of  good  health.  Indeed,  looking 
down  from  the  platform,  where  I  had  been  favoured 
with  a  seat,  upon  the  occupants  of  the  tables  below, 
tho  sight  of  so  many  men  with  massive  heads,  largo 
frames,  and  jovial  faces  engaged  in  eating  with  what 
a])peared  to  be  enviable  api)etitr's,  convinced  aq  it  is 


1 

1 

•n;t         ;, 

i'i! 

f  1 

rTOMrT*'  f 


m 


a^tf:;^^.^'jgy'>SJn-;\'»e>  ,fTT.^g??*^.'f'*^7?rr;*^**<^  ^V- 


! 

182 


COLUMBIA    AXD    CANADA. 


^-i. 


ffu 


} 


ili 


not  amonc:  the  members  of  the  Massachusetts  Medi- 
cal  Society  that  the  so-called  degeneration  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  type  in  New  England,  is  to  be  sought 
for.     Here,  as  in  a  part  of  the  world  nearer  liom(>, 
there  are  people   who    class   tobacco-smoking  with 
wine-bibbing,  and  pronounce  both  to  be  ruinous  to 
the  constitution.     Tiie  Massaclmsctts  doctors,  who 
were  pictures  of  sound  health,  though  the  majority 
were    past    middle    age,  one  who  Avas  as  hale  and 
vigorous    in    appearance    as   his    colleagues,   being 
upwards  of  90,  did  not  seem  to  dread  the  evil  effects 
of  tobacco.     When  dinner  was  over,  and  before  the 
speeches  began,  boxes  of  cigars  were  put  upon  the 
tables,  and  smokino*  was  indulofed  in  with  a  vio-our 
which    testified   to    a    regular   habit   and  thorough 
enjoyment.     The  speeches  were  generally  brief  and 
to  the  point.     Dr.  J.  H.  Mackie,  the  chairman,  pre- 
faced each  toast  with  a  few  sentences  couched  in 
well-chosen    language.     The    retiring   President  of 
the  Society,  replying  to  the  toast  of  his  health,  made 
an  effective  hit  by  producing  a  bill  for  medical  atten- 
dance  upon   the    wounded  at  Lexington    in   1775, 
which  had  never  been  paid.     The  items  were  curious ; 
the  fact  of  non-payment,  however,  did  not  appear 
surprising  to  men  who  are  ready  to  render  their  ser- 
vices,  but  are  not  certain  to  receive  due  recompense 
for  their  labours.      His  Excellency  A.  H.  Rice,  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  responded  in  a  very  telling 
way  for  the  Commonwealth  of  ]\Iassachusetts.     With 
this    exception,     the     non-medical    speakers    were 
eclipsed  by  the   physicians.      Judge   Bennett,  who 
responded  for  the  legal  profession,  was  sadly  prosy, 
and  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Quint,  wdio  responded  for  the 
clergy,  afibrded  the  depressing  spectacle  of  a  good 


CAPITAL  OF  •rni:  commonwealth  of  MASSACHUSETTS.  183 


mail  striving  to  be  humorous.  I  confess  to  an 
agreeable  surprise  wlien  the  chairman  rose  and  told 
the  company  that,  while  rejoicing  in  the  State  and 
land  of  wliicli  they  were  citizens,  they  ought  not  to 
be  unmindful  of  the  loins  from  which  their  country 
sprang,  and  then  proposed,  w-ith  hearty  expressions 
of  kindly  feeling  and  goodwill,  the  Mother  country. 
If  applause  be  a  sign  of  approval,  the  heartiness  of 
the  applause  wdiich  followed  demonstrated  the  cor- 
diality with  which  the  doctors  of  Massachusetts 
re-echoed  these  sentiments.  The  guest  who  was 
called  upon  to  respond,  though  he  simply  recipro- 
cated the  compliments  which  had  been  handsomely 
paid  to  the  land  which  he  represented,  and  expressed 
his  gratification  that  the  Mother  country  should 
have  been  remembered  and  honoured  by  so  distin- 
guished an  assembly,  was  yet  as  warmly  cheered  as 
if  he  had  touched  a  patriotic  fibre.  No  sooner  had 
he  sat  down  than  the  chairman  gave  a  signal  to  the 
band,  which  had  played  at  intervals  during  dinner, 
and  the  familiar  strains  of  "  God  save  the  Queen  " 
resounded  through  the  hall.  The  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  rose  to  his  feo^t ;  the  whole  assembly 
followed  his  example,  remaining  standing  while  the 
national  air  of  the  Motherland  was  played.  If  a 
citizen  of  Boston  had  foretold  at  the  time  of  the 
separation  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies  that,  on  the 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  independence  of  his 
country,  the  British  National  Anthem  would  be 
played  at  a  dinner  of  the  medical  men  of  Massa- 
cliusetts,  at  Avhicli  the  Governor  of  the  State  was 
present  as  a  guest,  and  would  be  received  with  all  the 
marks  of  respect  which  are  sliown  when  it  is  heard 
in  any  city  througliout  the  British  Empire,  he  would 


"fW'/f'*''    ■'"'■ 


n  "pi 


I 


^f 


184 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


11;  fc 


i  f 


i':]'M 


A 


If 


f 

# 

i 

i 

1 

\ 
i 

have  incurred  the  reproach  of  being  a  traitor,  and  ho 
would  have  sneeringly  been  told  to  go  to  Halifax, 
that  is,  to  follow  the  United  Empire  Loyalists  who 
had  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  Government  of 
Great  Britain.  Happily,  the  citizens  of  the  Com- 
monwealtli  of  Massachusetts  now  feel  that  they 
can  perform  an  act  of  international  courtesy  without 
fearing  that  it  will  be  unappreciated  or  misunder- 
stood. 

Bostonians  welcome  a  stranger  Avith  geniality,  and 
they  treat  him  with  a  hospitality  which  makes  him 
consider  that  he  is  at  homo.     This  is  not  the  rule  in 
the  United  States.     A  traveller  there  will  commonly 
receive  much  good  advice  from  those  to  whom  he 
presents  letters  of  introduction,  and,  if  he  be  excep- 
tionally fortunate,  he  will  be  offered  as  many  fresh 
letters  of  introduction  as  he  chooses  to  carry  away 
with  him,  these  letters  behig  usually  of  the  value  of 
waste  paper.     An  introduction  to  the  president  of  a 
great  railway  compan^^  will  probably  insure  the  dis- 
play of  what   I   may  term  railway  hospitality.     A 
directors'  car  will  be  put  at  the  traveller's  disposal, 
and  he  will  be  allowed  to  journey  over  the  line  as 
much  as  he  pleases  ;  it  may  even  happen  that,  when 
he  halts,  his  hotel  bills  will  be  paid  by  the  company. 
The  expense  of  all  this  falls  upon  the  shareholders, 
many  of  whom  maybe  the  traveller's  fellow-country- 
men, who  vainly  puzzle  themselves  as  to  why  the 
working  expenses  of  the  railway  are  so  heavy,  and 
who  are  doomed  to  receive  empty  promises  instead  of 
dividends.     It  is  not  in  this  vicarious  fashion  that 
Bostonians  both  welcome  and  entertain  strangers ; 
hence   the   latter   leave   the  city  with  an  indelible 
impression   of   having   been   the    recipients   of   an 


us, 
mi 


CM'ITAL  OP  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSAfllUSETTS.   185 


amount  of  personal  kindness  for  wliicli  it  would  be 
difficult  to  make  an  adequate  return. 

The  best  men  have  their  hobbies  or  failinjxs,  and 
Bostonians  are  not  exempt  from  the  weaknesses  of 
human  nature.  Justly  proud  of  their  city,  they  are 
ratlier  too  sensitive  on  the  subject  of  climate.  They 
know  that  the  climate  of  Boston  falls  short  of  per- 
fection ;  but  they  do  not  relish  complaints  about  it 
from  strangers.  Having  succeeded  in  so  many 
things,  it  must  be  mortifying  for  them  to  feel  that 
their  ingenuity  and  perseverance  cannot  avail  to 
abolish  or  temper  the  East  Wind.  This  draw- 
back to  existence  in  the  American  Athens,  the 
capital  of  Massachusetts,  is  also  a  drawback  to 
existence  in  the  Modern  Athens,  the  capital  of  Scot- 
land. Sydney  Smith  gave  the  following  advice  to 
an  English  friend  who  was  about  to  visit  Edinburgh : 
"  When  you  arrive  there  it  may  rain,  snow,  or  blow 
for  many  days,  and  the  people  will  assure  you  that 
they  never  knew  such  a  season  before.  If  you  would 
be  popular,  declare  you  think  it  the  most  delightful 
cHraate  in  the  world."  The  visitor  to  Boston  who 
turns  this  suggestion  to  account  will  rise  in  the 
estimation  of  its  worthy  citizens. 


m 


TIT 


Piflf  "'  ■■'•*'■ 


180 


XL 


SARATOGA   AND    WEST    POINT. 


:i'1 


•11 


i 

I 


w 

?! 

1      < 

i     'i  i 

|i 

1 

i- 

J 

Boston,  Saratoga,  and  Yorktown  are  the  names  of 
tliree  places  inseparably  associated  with  the  inex- 
cusable  mistakes  of  British  Ministers  and  Generals 
during  the  American  revolution.  It  was  fitting  that 
a  war,  which  was  in  itself  a  gigantic  blunder,  should 
have  been  conducted  by  incomparable  blunderers. 
Thackeray  makes  Sir  George  Warrington  say  with 
great  truth  in  the  Virginians — "  In  reading  over  our 
American  cam])aignsfrom  their  unhappy  commence- 
ment to  their  inglorious  end,  now  that  w'e  are  able 
to  see  the  enemy's  movements  and  condition  as  well 
as  our  own,  I  fancy  we  can  see  how  an  advance — a 
march — might  have  put  enemies  into  our  power  who 
had  no  means  to  withstand  it,  and  changed  the 
entire  issue  of  the  struggle."  This  is  specially  aj)- 
plicable  to  the  ill-fated  expedition  which  ended  in 
the  capitulation  at  Saratoga.  Had  Burgoyne  suc- 
ceeded, the  character  of  the  struggle  w^ould  have 
been  changed.  His  signal  failure  led  to  the  inter- 
vention of  France.  The  final  independence  of  the 
Thirteen  United  Colonies  was  mainly  owing  to  the 
French  alliance,  to  French  treasure,  French  soldiers, 
and  a  French  fleet. 

The  importance  of  the  result  at  Saratoga  led  Sir 


SARATOGA    AND   WKST   POINT. 


187 


Edward  Creasy  to  includo  the  fit;'liting  there  among 
the  decisive  ])attles   of  the    Avorkl.      Few    mihtary 
('X[)editioiis,    liowever,    liave    been    the    subject    of 
o;reater   misconception   than    tliat   which  Bm'goyno 
commanded.     To  set  forth  the  facts  in   due  order 
would  imply  rewriting  the   story  of  the  campaign; 
at  present,  I  shall  content  myself  with  pointing  out 
a  few  egregious  errors.     The  jMiuistry  designed  that 
a   combined    movement   should  be   undertaken   by 
General  Howe  and  General  Burgoync;  the  former 
advancing   up  the    Hudson   from    New   York ;  the 
latter  advancing  upon  the  Hudson  from  Quebec,  a 
junction  being  effected  at  Albany.     By  the  time  that 
Burgoyne  had  reached  the   Hudson,  General  Howe 
was  approaching  Philadelphia.     The  reason  of  this 
extraordinary  misunderstanding  was  not  known  till 
the  publication  of  the  "  Life  of  Lord   Shelburne." 
Burgoyne   carried  out  the  imperative   instructions 
which  he  had  received  from  Lord  George  Germain  ; 
the  latter    drafted    instructions  to  General  Howe, 
but   these  were   not   forwarded   till   the  time   had 
passed  for   them    to  have   an}'-  effect;    hence   the 
combined  movement  never    took   place,  and    thus 
the  capitulation  at  Saratoga  was  the  necessary  con- 
sequence of  Lord  George  Germain's   unpardonable 
neglect.'      General  Burgoyne,  though  unfortunate, 
was   not   disgraced,  and   he   must   not   be  classed 
among  such  incompetent  commanders  as  Gage  and 
Howe,  Clinton  and  Coruwallis. 

If  any  one,  really  anxious  to  ascertain  the  truth, 
should  try  to  learn  how  many  men  capitulated  at 
Saratoga,  he  will  have  some  difficulty  in  arriving  at 

'  "  Life  of  the  Earl  ol'  Shelburne,"  by  LordEdinond  Fitzmauriee, 
vol.  i.  J)}).  358,  •i')d. 


188 


^lli 


'i.  '■ 


ifii^ 


I  I 


ill 

i 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


a  definite  conclusion.  Having  exann'ned  seven  shni-t 
histories  of  the  United  States,  hy  different  aiitlioi-s, 
whicli  are  used  in  teaching  school  children  the 
annals  of  their  country,  I  find  that  the  number  of 
Burgoyne's  array,  at  the  date  of  capitulation,  is 
given  as  5,752  in  one,  5,791  in  another,  more  than 
5,000  in  a  third,  0,000  in  a  fourth,  as  the  remainder 
of  0,000  in  a  fifth,  over  0,000  in  a  sixth,  while  no 
figures  are  stated  in  a  seventh.  All  agree,  however, 
in  estimating  the  number,  wdien  the  army  started  from 
Canada,  at  10,000.  Mr.  Bancroft,  in  the  last  edition 
of  his  *'  History  of  the  United  States,"  an  edition 
which  has  been  carefully  revised,  or,  as  he  puts  it 
in  a  prefatory  note,  to  the  revision  of  which  "  a  solid 
year  of  close  and  undivided  application  has  been 
devoted,"  says  that  the  number  who  capitulated, 
"including  officers,  was  5,791.  Besides  these,  there 
were  1,850  prisoners  of  war,  including  the  sick  and 
wounded,  who  had  been  abandoned.  Of  deserters 
there  were  300,  so  that — including  the  killed, 
prisoners,  and  disabled  at  Hubbardtown,  Fort  Ann, 
Bennington,  Orisca,  the  outposts  of  Tyconderoga, 
and  round  Saratoga — the  total  loss  of  the  British  in 
this  northern  campaign  was  not  far  from  10,000, 
counting  officers  as  well  as  rank  and  file."  Dr. 
Noah  "Webster,  who  served  in  the  militia  under 
General  Stark  and  was  present  at  the  capitulation, 
referred  to  it  in  an  essay  written  ten  years  after  and 
said  that  Burgoyne's  force  amounted  "  according  to 
some  to  10,000,  and  according  to  others,  to  5,752."" 
These  discrepancies  are  typical  of  the  current  ver- 
sions of  events  in  American  annals.     The  truth  is  that 

'  "  Essays  and  Fugitive  Writings  by  Noah  Webster,"  p.  174. 


SARATOGA    AND    WEST    POINT. 


189 


llie  expeditionary   force   numbered  7,002,    when  it' 
started  from  Canada.     Nearly  1000  men  were  left  to 
urarrison  Tyconderoga.     All  the  Indians  left  it  before 
t'.ie  capitulation;  many  of  the  other  auxiliaries  de- 
serted; the  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  were  very 
heavy.  General  Burgoyne  stated  in  his  official  report 
that  the  number  who  capitulated  Avas  3,500,  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  his  accuracy,     Sir  Edward 
Creasy,  avIio  rightly  estimated  the  significance  of  the 
issue,  is  as  untrustworthy  in  his  figures  as  the  greatest 
blunderer  could  be.    He  states  that  the  number  who 
capitulated  was  5,790,  that  the  killed  and  wounded 
numbered   4,089.       If  these   figures    are  added  to- 
gether, it  will  be  found  that  they  exceed  by  2,577 
the  total  of  the  force  which  started  from  Quebec  ! 
None  of  the  United  States  writers  whose  works   I 
luive  consulted,  think   fit  to  mention   that  the  vic- 
torious force  under  General  Gates  numbered  1  7,000. 
That  the  atfair  was  a  humiliating  one  for  the  British 
arms  cannot  be  denied,  but  the  degree  and  measure 
of  humiliation  may  admit  of  qualification  when  the 
truth  is  fully  set  forth,  and   the  figures  are  fairly 
estimated. 

An  expedition  to  Saratoga  is  now  a  very  easy 
matter,  whether  the  starting-point  be  Quebec  or  New 
York.  The  thick  woods  which  were  hindrances  to 
the  operations  of  Burgoyne,  and  the  bad  roads  which 
rendered  his  march  slow  and  difficult,  no  lontifor  o-ive 
annoyance  to  the  peaceful  traveller.  The  trees  have 
been  felled ;  railways  have  been  made ;  the  fastest 
steamboats  in  the  world  ply  on  the  Hudson,  and 
Saratoga  Springs  can  be  reached,  within  six  hours 
by  rail,  from  New  York,  and  in  twice  thp.t  time  by 
taking  the  steamer  to  Albany.     A  more  enjoyable 


urn 


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100 


rOLUMIilA    AND    CANADA. 


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i|         '--j!!!".'*'!  ' 

Jl   IM^ 

liiii 

1'.^ 

kiil  tliaii  ono  on  tlio  ITiid.son,  diiriiii^  a  fine  dny 
in  summer,  cannot  ho  conccivoil.  No  stcamci's,  in 
any  part  of  tlio  world  arc  siipcrioi*  in  speed  and 
luxury  of  accommodation  to  the  (y.  Vihhard,  Ihniii'l 
DrciVy  or  Mari/  Powell^  and  tlicy  arc  only  .sui'})assed 
liero  by  tlio  Jtridolixnd  I'mvldnin',  wliicli  ])ly  between 
New  York  and  Fall  Iliver.  When  walkinuf  round 
the  galleries,  Avhicli  run  alonpf  tlio  inside  above  tlio 
saloon,  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  one  is  on  board  a 
vessel;  the  smoothness  with  which  the  eno-incs  Avork 
renders  it  as  hard  to  understand  that  one  is  beiiij^ 
])ropellcd  through  the  water  at  the  rate  of  twenty- 
five  miles  an  hour.  The  change  from  the  time,  when 
Robert  Fulton  made  liis  CJermont  move  at  tha  rate 
of  seven  miles  an  hour,  is  quite  as  remarkable  as 
that  which  was  wrought  when  his  steamboat  dis- 
placed sailing  packets.  Yet,  in  one  respect,  no 
change  has  occurred,  even  if  we  go  back  to  the  year 
1 G09,  when  Henry  Hudson  sailed  up  this  river  in 
the  Half  Moon;  the  scenery  is  as  beautiful  now  as 
it  was  when  a  European  eye  gazed  upon  it  for  the 
first  time,  and  more  beautiful  scenery  cannot  be 
desired. 

It  is  common  for  United  States  travellers  in 
Europe  to  institute  comparisons  between  the  Hud- 
son and  the  Rhine,  or  the  Danube,  and  to  give  the 
preference  to  tlieir  own  river.  Those  among  them 
who  come  from  California  are  as  fond  of  saying  that 
the  beauties  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  or  any  Swiss 
lake,  fall  far  short  of  those  of  Donner  Lake  or  Lake 
Tahoe.  Nothing  can  bo  more  futile  than  endeavours 
to  compare  two  things  which  are  essentially  different, 
and  nothing  can  be  more  foolish  than  to  refuse  ad- 
miration for  something  seen  abroad,  because  it  is 


SARATOtiA    AND    WliST    rOINT. 


191 


.. 


not  tlio  samn  as  aomctliiiin^  at  hoin(\  A  citizen  of* 
(Ilas<jf()\v  may  well  bcliovo  thiit  a  sail  in  tlio  lona 
From  tlio  lii'oomiclawto  Anlrishaij^  is  tlio  pleasantost 
Iliiii<^  in  tlio  world;  a  r.^oiuloiuT  has  as  good  reason 
for  maiiitaininnr  that  tlio  view  of  the  valley  of  tlio 
Thames  from  Uichmond  I'ai'k,  or  a  sail  between 
Twyford  and  Great  Marlnw,  caimot  bo  surpassed  in 
pictures(|iionoss;  while  a  German's  enthusiasm  al)out 
tlio  chai-ms  of  tli'.^  Jlhinc^  between  C-oblentz  and 
Uingen  is  perfectly  natural.  Net  one?  of  these,  or 
ot,lior  famous  places  of  interest  which  mig'ht  be 
named,  has  any  similarity,  each  oeing  marked  with 
a  special  attraction,  arul  invested  with  a  bc;i;.ty  of 
its  own.  This  is  strikingly  true  of  the  I'iver  Hud- 
son, and  to  refuse  to  admire  it  because  one  prefers 
the  Rhine,  the  Clyde,  or  tho  Thames,  is  as  absurd 
as  to  refuse  to  admire  the  Rhine,  the  (Uvde,  and  tho 
Thames,  because  they  do  not  resemble  the  Hudson. 
For  twenty  miles,  after  leaving  the  wharf,  tho 
stt^amer  passes  along  that  part  of  the  river  which  is 
called  tho  Palisades.  I  was  never  more  iniDi-essed 
with  any  other  natural  appearances,  unless  it  were 
the  canyons  of  the  Rocky  ]\[ountains  or  the  "  Gates 
of  tlie  Alps,"  as  represented  by  Mr.  Ruskin,  and  as 
they  are  to  be  seen  between  Botzen  and  Verona. 
The  rocks  rise  to  the  height  of  500  feet,  and  present 
an  unbroken  surface  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  while 
tho  sparse  vegetation  on  the  sides,  and  the  serrated 
outline  at  the  top,  deprive  tho  prospect  of  monotony. 
Then  comes  the  Tappan  Zee,  where  the  river  ex- 
pands so  as  to  resemble  a  lake,  being  here  three 
miles  wide.  Next  we  enter  the  part  which  ip  ofdled 
the  Highlands,  where  all  the  charms  of  mountain, 
water,  and  wood  are  combined  in  exquisite  proper- 


'I*  fir 


■rw!;  •.'.V-rwt'W, 


TR""^HIF 


PHPr^ 


^PBI" 


192 


rOLUMP.TA    AXn    CANADA. 


.';" 


tions.  It  is  difficult  to  say  what  spot  is  tlie  most 
lovely  and  what  effect  is  the  most  remarkable.  If 
we  land  at  West  Point,  which  is  rather  less  than 
half-way  between  New  York  and  Albany,  the  feeling 
will  be  one  of  disinclination  to  go  either  forwards  or 
backwards.  This  spot  is  almost  nnrivalled  in 
natural  beauty.  The  river  winds  round  three  sides 
of  it,  and  the  wooded  heights  on  both  banks  make  a 
lovely  background  to  the  landscape.  If  the  officers 
in  the  United  States  army  are  devoid  of  enthusiasm 
about  natural  scenery,  it  is  not  for  want  of  experience 
of  the  beautiful  in  nature. 

As  a  training-school,  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  has  a  reputation  which  is  thoroughly 
merited.  The  cadets  are  drilled  and  taught  with  a 
care  and  completeness  which  cannot  be  surpassed  at 
Sandhurst,  St.  Cyr,  or  Berlin.  I  saw  them  at  their 
drill,  and  I  was  impressed  with  the  resemblance  be- 
tween the  cavalry  drill  here  and  that  which  is  taught 
in  France.  The  demonstrativeness,  which  is  notable 
in  the  French  service,  is  not  only  permitted,  but 
inculcated  in  that  of  the  United  States.  When  the 
charge  is  sounded,  the  men  gallop  forward  waving 
their  sabres  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 
In  tlie  German  army,  as  well  as  in  our  own,  this 
would  bo  condemned  as  unsoldierlike.  I  was  pleased 
to  see  that  the  Mexican  stirrup  was  used ;  this  is  a 
small  matter  of  detail  which  is  worth  adopting  in  our 
service.  The  infantry  drill  was  remarkable  for  its 
antiquated  character.  The  young  lads  were  made  to 
keep  their  hands  in  the  stiff  and  unnatural  attitudes 
which  were  doubtless  introduced  by  Baron  von  Steu- 
ben into  the  United  States  army,  which  were  cer- 
taiidy  enforced  by  the  drill  sergeants   of  Frederick 


^^mm 


SARATOGA    AND    WEST   POINT. 


193 


the  Greatj  whicli  arc  still  enforced  in  the  German 
army,  but  which  have  happily  been  abandoned  in  our 
own.  The  cadets  Avent  through  their  drill  with  great 
])recision;  indeed,  they  were  treated  as  rigidly  as 
any  German  recruits  whom  I  have  ever  seen  in  the 
painful  stage  of  conversion  from  slouching  peasants 
into  smart  soldiers.  If  Colonel  Martinet  were  alive, 
the  soldiers  of  the  United  States  regular  army 
would  please  him  better  than  any  upon  earth,  with 
the  sole  exception  of  Russian  soldiers.  Yet,  while 
an  officer  and  private  in  the  United  States  service 
are  trained  to  act  with  the  accuracy  of  a  machine, 
they  are  not  mere  machines  in  the  field,  and  they 
can  meet  an  emergency  with  a  readiness  of  resource 
which  excites  admiration. 

Though  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  is  the 
chief  object  of  interest,  yet  the  natural  beauties  of 
the  place  form  the  real  attraction.  At  every  turn  a 
new  view  meets  the  eye.  From  one  place  I  sud- 
denly caught  a  glimpse  of  a  distant  prospect,  which 
recalled  Turner's  "  Italy,"  and  made  me  forget  that 
the  land  of  dreams  was  far  away.  Those  persons 
who  associate  tlie  name  of  West  Point  with  the 
treachery  of  Arnold  and  the  fate  of  Andru  will  be 
disappointed  to  find  that  the  place  lias  undergone  an 
entire  transformation  since  the  days  when  it  was  the 
Ehrenbreitstein  of  the  Hudson.  Port  I'utman,  a 
little  way  up  the  river,  alone  remains  in  its  ruined 
state  to  show  the  position  and  character  of  the  old 
fortifications.  I  could  not  even  learn  where  the 
chain  was  stretched  from  bank  to  bank  to  hinder  the 
upward  passage  of  the  Vulture  man-of-war.  The  rea- 
son wh}--  the  forts  which  once  lined  the  Hudson  have 
1)0011  allowed  to  fall  into  decay,  or  to  disappear  allu- 

u 


i 


r  I 


*•'. 

|: 

J.  , 

\ 

'  li 

TIP' 


Wi^ 


rmi 


f1  :   f 


194 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


f  -j 
i   i 


gether,  is  that  no  occasion  for  their  protection  is 
likely  to  recur.  A  hostile  fleet  sailing  up  the  river 
is  a  contingency  which  needs  never  to  be  provided 
against.  It  would  be  as  absurd  to  fortify  Hampton 
Court  as  to  fortify  AVest  Point.  For  some  distance 
higler  up  the  scenery  is  as  striking  as  at  this  place, 
but  a  good  way  before  Albany  is  reached  the  view 
from  the  river  is  as  tame  as  that  from  the  Rhine 
between  Mainz  and  Mannheim. 


^m 


195 


XII. 


SARATOGA    SPRINGS. 

At  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  the  river  ceases  to  be  navigable  for  vessels 
drawing  much  water.  Here  it  was  that  Henry 
Hudson  found  his  dream  of  having  discovered  a 
passage  to  the  South  Sea  disperse  into  empty  air, 
the  splendid,  stream  which  he  had  discovered  proving 
to  be  a  river  and  nothing  more.  Here,  too,  the 
passengers  bound  for  Saratoga  continue  their  jour- 
]iey  by  rail  if  they  have  commenced  it  l)y  water. 
At  Troy,  six  miles  distant  from  Albany,  tluy 
enter  a  train  on  the  Saratoga  and  Rensselaer  Kail- 
way.  The  very  name  of  this  place  clashes  with  the 
oldest  and  most  cherished  recollections  of  the 
readers  of  ancient  history.  This  Troy  has  nothing 
classical  about  it  save  the  name ;  its  reputation  is 
based  on  the  manufacture  of  Bessemer  steel  and  of 
iron  stoves.  The  poet  who  should  be  inspired  by 
the  United  States  Troy  would  be  capable  of  writing 
an  epic  about  Birmingham. 

Seven  miles  before  reachino;  Saratoo-a,  the  train 
stops  at  Ballston  Spa,  a  place  which  was  once  in  great 
repute  for  its  mineral  waters,  but  which  is  chiefly 
famous  now  for  the  production  of  paper  collars.  At 
Saratoga  Springs,  the  sti'aiiger  who   has  journeyed 

0  2 


¥ 


Hk 

, 

\ 

■■      ■!-■; 

k 

'i'i 


196 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


1 

1      ■    ; 

i 

i 

1 

i 

[                        .       ! 

1  " 

:      i 

i 

:t||| 

mi 


through  the  United  States  is  at  once  struck  witli  the 
hotel  omnibuses  whicli  chistcr  around  the  station, 
a  sight  reminding  him  of  the  watering-places  of 
Europe.  As  I  had  determined  to  go  to  the  Claren- 
don Hotel,  I  had  simply  to  mention  the  fact  in  order 
to  receive  all  possible  attention  from  the  dark- 
visaged  and  smartly-dressed  conductor  of  the  om- 
nibus belonging  to  it.  That  place  of  entertainment, 
according  to  the  advertisements,  was  "  patronized  by 
the  aristocracy  of  Europe  and  America."  It  had, 
moreover,  the  attraction  of  a  spring  of  mineral  water 
in  the  garden  attached  to  it ;  if  its  frequenters 
belonged  to  the  aristocracy  of  a  Monarchy  or  a 
Republic,  they  certainly  bore  a  striking  resemblance 
to  others  who  make  no  aristocratic  pretensions. 

I  have  visited  several  places  frequented  by  invalids 
who  either  drink  mineral  waters,  bathe  in  them,  or 
do  both  ;  this  is  one  of  the  few  which  does  not  boast 
of  having  been  discovered  and  favoured  by  the 
Romans.  Judging  from  tradition,  the  Romans 
would  appear  to  have  been  as  much  bent  upon 
drinking  mineral  water  as  upon  universal  conquest, 
or  they  may  have  been  moved  to  conquer  the  world 
in  order  to  have  at  their  command  natural  tonics  to 
strengthen  them,  or  natural  aperients  to  relieve  them 
from  dyspepsia.  The  springs  of  Saratoga,  which 
had  long  been  known  to  the  Indians,  did  not  become 
fashionable  till  some  time  after  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury had  begun.  They  are  now  so  greatly  frequented 
that  the  ordinary  population  of  the  village,  which 
numbers  8,000,  has  18,000  persons  added  to  it  in 
the  season.  Homburg  and  Baden  cannot  show 
greater  signs  of  popularity.  Like  them  in  former 
days,  Saratoga  has  a  gaming-house,  which  appears 


SARATOGA    SPRINGS. 


197 


0  be   quite  as  attractive  to  many  visitors  as  the 
niiueral  springs. 

There  is  a  curious  and  interesting  letter  about 
Saratoga,  among  those  wliich  were  sent  to  Washing- 
ton by  his  friends  and  acquaintances.  Nowadays, 
the  inquirer  can  easily  learn  what  makes  the  waters 
sparkle,  and  what  their  virtues  are  supposed  to  be ;  a 
century  ago,  leading  chemists  knew  less  about  car- 
bonic acid  gas  than  a  modern  school-girl  does.  Mr. 
Otho  H.  Williams,  writing  from  Baltimore  on  the 
12th  of  July,  1784,  says  that  his  visit  to  Saratoga 
Springs  was  paid  because  Washington  had  once 
recommended  them  as  a  cure  for  rheumatism.  In 
the  following  account,  he  probably  referred  to  the 
High  Hock  Spring,  discovered  by  Sir  William  John- 
son, in  1707,  which  still  retains  the  appearance  he 
describes  : — "  The  springs  are  now  much  frequented 
by  the  uncivilized  people  of  the  back-country — but 
very  few  others  resort  to  them,  as  there  is  but  one 
small  hut  within  several  miles  of  the  place.  Colonel 
Armstrong  and  myself  spent  one  week  there,  which 
was  equal  to  a  little  campaign,  for  the  accommoda- 
tion was  very  wretched,  and  p'^ovisions  exceedingly 
scarce.  The  country  about  the  springs  being  uncul- 
tivated, we  were  forced  to  send  to  the  borders  of  the 
Hudson  for  wl'.^  was  necessary  for  our  subsistence. 
During  our  stay  we  made  a  few  little  experiments  on 
the  waters.  Bark  of  a  restringent  quality  turn6d 
them  to  a  purple  colour  very  suddenly,  and  we 
tlioiijThtthat  iron  was  discoverable  even  to  the  taste. 
They  have  certainly  a  very  great  quantity  of  salts. 
.  .  .  But  that  which  distinguishes  these  waters  in  a 
very  conspicuous  degree  from  all  others  is  the  great 
(quantity  of  fixed  air  which  they  contain.     They  are 


;i    I 


■JWf} 


198 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


exceedingly  pimgent  to  the  taste,  and,  after  being 
drunk  a  short  time,  will  often  affect  the  nose  like 
brisk  bottled  ale.  The  water  will  raise  flour  sooner 
than  any  other  thing,  and  cannot  be  confined  so  that 
the  air  will  not  somehow  or  other  escape.  Several 
persons  told  us  that  they  had  corked  it  tight  in  bot- 
tles and  that  the  bottles  broke.  "VVe  tried  it  with 
the  only  bottle  we  had,  which  did  not  break,  but  the 
air  found  its  way  through  a  wooden  stopper  and  the 
wax  with  which  it  was  sealed.  A  trout  died  in  the 
Avater  in  less  than  a  minute,  or  seemed  dead,  but 
recovered  in  common  water.  This  experiment  was 
repeated  with  the  same  effect.  We  observed  in  dig- 
ging that  the  rocks  which  are  about  the  springs,  and 
which  in  one  or  two  places  project  themselves  above 
the  earth  in  a  conic  form,  go  not  deep  into  the 
ground,  but  are  formed  by  the  waters  which  (the 
man  who  lives  at  the  place  informed  us)  overflow 
once  per  month,  when  not  disturbed,  and  the  earthy 
parts,  being  exposed  to  the  air  and  sun,  petrify  and 
increase.  This  opinion  is  strengthened  by  the  shells 
and  bodies  of  insects  which  we  found  in  broken 
])arts  of  the  rock.  I  have  given  you  my  observa- 
tions, because  I  think  you  told  me  what  you  knew 
of  these  extraordinary  springs  was  from  infor- 
mation." 

To  this  picture  of  Saratoga  in  1784,  which  was 
])rovided  for  the  information  of  Washington,  I  may 
append  another  representing  it  in  1797,  drawn  by 
Professor  Benjamin  Silliman,  of  Yale  College,  who 
may  be  styled  the  father  of  chemistry  in  the  United 
States:— "Mr.  Elliott,  Mr.  Winn,  and  myself 
jnounted  our  horses  one  uay  (at  Ballston)  and 
rode  seven  oi*  eight  miles   tlirough  the  pine  forest, 


SAllATOOA    SPRINGS. 


199 


with  its  delightful  fragrance,  and  arrived  at  the  place 
-\vlioro  they  said  there  were  some  mineral  spi'ings. 
There  was  not  even  a  village,  but  only  two  or  three 
log-houses  standing  among  the  pine-trees.  The 
people  were  civil,  and  provided  hay  for  our  horses, 
and  for  ourselves  bacon  and  eggs.  They  then 
])iloted  us  into  a  morass  where  nature  was  unsub- 
dued, and,  stepping  cautiously  from  bog  to  bog,  we 
soon  arrived  at  a  spring  which  they  called  the  Con- 
gress Spring,  and  we  drank  the  water,  which  tasted 
as  it  does  now."  Returning  thither  after  twenty- 
six  years,  he  adds  : — "  What  a  change  !  A  beau- 
tiful city  had  arisen  where  there  were  only  a  morass 
and  a  pine  barren.  Beautiful  lawns,  adorned  with 
statuary,  now  meet  the  eyes,  and  the  fashionable 
world  in  the  summer  months,  throng  this  fnvourito 
resort." 

The  active  constituent  of  thes6  mineral  waters  is 
chloride  of  sodium ;  they  are  largely  charged  with 
carbonic  acid  gas,  are  pleasant  to  the  palate,  and 
they  resemble,  alike  in  their  constituents  and  their 
action,  the  waters  of  Homburg.  Congress  Spring, 
situated  in  a  park  of  the  same  name,  is  most  com- 
monly preferred  by  the  water-drinkers.  The  park  is 
tastefully  laid  out  and  well  kept.  With  a  view  to 
render  the  company  more  exclusive,  a  covered  pro- 
menade has  been  formed,  to  which  the  charge  for 
admission  is  ten  cents.  I  was  told  that  this  arrange- 
ment had  the  advantage  of  separating  the  coloured 
and  poorer  from  the  white  and  wealthier  citizens. 
The  poorer  members  of  the  community  can  drink 
water  gratis,  underneath  the  structure  frequented 
by  the  fashionable  visitors. 

A  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south  of  the  village  is  the 


f 


I!  , 


"i  f  i     ■      -  v»  f- 


ir^i 


200 


COLUMlilA    AN1>    CANADA. 


■i(-.a 


Geyser  Spring,  wliich  w^s  discovered  in  1870,  and  is 
one  of  tlie  curiosities  of  the  place.  It  was  found  by 
boring  a  liole  5 2-  inches  in  diameter  to  the  depth  of 
132  feet  in  the  limestone  rock  ;  the  water  rises  to 
the  height  of  thirty-two  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  The  proprietor  of  this  spring  styles  it  "  a 
]Miro  mineral  aperient  and  tonic  compounded  by 
nature,'' containing  nearly  100 cubic  inches  of  carbonic 
gas  to  the  gallon  in  excess  of  any  other  spring,  and 
"  a  delightful  beverage."  To  the  taste,  it  differs  in 
no  appreciable  degree  from  other  springs  here  ;  but 
this  does  not  disprove  all  that  tlie  proprietor  says  in 
its  praise.  Moreover,  it  would  be  presumptuous  to 
place  a  personal  opinion  in  opposition  to  the  fact 
that,  100,000  persons  having  visited  the  Geyser 
Spring  in  1  875,  "  the  universal  testimony  is  that  the 
waters  are  the  best  and  the  sprmg  the  most  wonderful 
in  the  world."  The  logical  sequence  and  force  of  this 
are  not  beyond  criticism. 

Scarcely  any  person  thinks  of  walking  to  the 
Geyser  Spring.  When  I  intimated  that  I  preferred 
to  walk  thitlier,  I  was  told  by  the  man  whose  duty  at 
the  hotel  consisted  in  pi'oviding  carriages  for  visi- 
tors, that  it  Avas  pleasanter  to  drive.  He  expressed 
his  surprise  when  my  wife  and  myself  achieved  the 
feat  of  going  and  returning  on  foot,  and  hardly  sup- 
pressed his  contempt  for  this  disregard  of  social  cus- 
tom. When  Mr.  Stuart  was  liere  in  1828,  he  found 
the  disinclination  to  take  walking  exercise  as  great  as 
I  did;  he  says:  "Invalids  seem  to  confine  themselves 
to  a  five  or  ten  minutes'  walk  in  the  morning,  when 
they  go  to  the  fountain,  and  to  drive  in  an  open 
carriage  for  an  hour,  or  an  hour  and  a  half.  When 
they  meet  us  walking  several  miles  for  exercise,  and 


!f      I: 


UZK 


SAUATOCA    SPUINCS. 


201 


the  ploasurc  of  being  in  the  open  air,  they,  whothor 
acquainted  with  us  or  not,  frequently  stop  their 
vehicles,  and  very  civilly  offer  us  a  ride  with  them, 
and  can  hardly  believe  us  serious  when  we,  in 
declining  to  avail  ourselves  of  their  kindly-meant 
offer,  tell  them  that  we  prefer  walking.  There  are 
few  more  striking  points  of  difference  between  this 
country  and  Britain,  than  the  numbers  of  people  who 
ride  and  walk  on  the  public  roads.  It  absolutely 
seems  disgraceful  to  be  seen  walking."  '  When  the 
Duke  of  Manchester  visited  the  Amei'ican  continent, 
he  spent  several  days  at  Niagara  Falls.  He  went 
on  foot  to  the  various  places  of  interest,  combining 
sight-seeing  with  healthful  exercise.  As  an  English 
Duke,  he  was  the  subject  of  much  curiosity,  but  he 
fell  far  below  the  standard  of  a  shoddy  millionaire 
hi  the  estimation  of  the  censorious  citizens  who  were 
attentive  to  his  doings,  their  verdict  being  thus 
formulated  :  *'  lie  could  not  be  much  of  a  Duke,  for 
he  always  walked." 

Every  visitor  to  Saratoga  is  expected  to  visit  first 
the  Geyser  Spring,  and  next  the  Lake.  The  latter 
is  four  miles  distant.  The  road  thither  is  more 
pleasing  than  the  prospect  of  the  lake  itself,  the 
ground  about  it  being  very  marshy  and  the  view 
devoid  of  character.  To  walk  so  far  is  accounted  a 
still  greater  transgression,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
carriage-keepers,  than  to  walk  to  the  Geyser  Spring. 
An  Indian  camp  is  classed  among  the  attractions  of 
Saratoga  Springs.  Those  persons  who  have  money 
to  expend  on  rubbish,  and  who  can  resist  the  evi- 
dence which  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  some  of 


(■ 

f 

*  "  Three  Years  in  North  America,"  by  James  Stuart,  vol.  i. 
p.  193. 


,I'I  ■  ^'      ."f  PJI   ^ 


ill 


202 


COLUMRIA    AND    CANADA. 


I 


I'   i 


mm 


nil 


( 

''flill' 1! 

, 

!i 

h 

i 

,  i  ■  i^ 
1 :'    i 

1  '    j'.^ 
1' , :    ' 

1 

:  ij^; 

i 

J 

lik 

Li 

these  children  of  nature  mnst  have  been  born  in 
Ireland,  will  gladly  empty  their  purses  in  exchange 
for  trash,  and  feel  gratification  in  studying  the 
simple  manners  and  artless  speech  of  the  Red  man 
and  liis  family. 

To  diink  mineral  water  before  breakfast  and  hear 
the  band  play,  to  look  with  eagerness  for  tlie  arrival 
of  the  New  York  newspapers  in  the  forenoon,  to 
take  a  drive  after  dunier,  to  dance  or  watch  others 
wearying  themselves  by  dancing  in  the  evening,  and 
iv  vary  this  dissipated  life  by  visiting  the  gaming- 
liell  of  the  Honourable  John  Morrissey,  where 
refreshments  may  be  had  gratis  and  money  may  be 
lost  as  easily  as  on  the  Stock  Exchange,  such  is  the 
daily  routine  of  life  here.  Not  very  dissimilar  is  the 
life  at  watering-places  all  over  the  world.  Of  Sara- 
toga I  may  say,  as  Horace  Walpole  said  of  Bath  in 
its  palmy  days,  that  people  go  thither  well  and  return 
home  cured.  Those  persons  who  are  the  least  exact- 
ing will  be  the  most  gratified.  The  truth  on  this 
head  has  been  pointedly  expressed  by  M.  Taine  in  his 
"  Journey  to  the  Pyrenees  :" — "  If  life  at  a  watering- 
place  be  a  romance,  it  is  so  in  books  only.  In  order 
to  see  great  men  there,  it  is  necessary  to  carry  them 
in  one's  portmanteau  bound  in  calf.  It  is  likewise 
held  that  conversation  at  a  watering-place  is  very 
clever,  that  one  meets  nobody  there  but  artists,  men 
of  eminence,  men  moving  in  the  best  society ;  that 
ideas,  grace,  and  elegance  abound,  and  that  the 
flower  of  every  pleasure  and  of  all  thought  blossoms 
there.  The  fact  is  that  one  wears  out  one's  hats 
and  eats  many  peaches  at  a  watering-place,  that  one 
talks  a  great  deal,  and  that,  as  regards  men  and 
ideas,  it  is  much  the  same  there  as  anywhere  else." 


SAKATur.A    SIM'JNOS. 


203 


The  Grand  Union  ITotol,  ono  of  the  largest  in  Sara- 
toga, was  a  pet  pi'oject  of  the  late  Mr.  Stewart.  The 
garden  is  one  of  the  finest  attached  to  any  hoteh 
At  the  western  end  of  the  ball-room  is  a  gigantic 
painting  by  M.  Yvon,  representing  "  The  Geiiius  of 
America."  What  is  thought  of  the  picture  cannot 
better  be  expressed  than  in  the  words  of  an  admiring 
citizen  of  the  United  States : — "  Tlie  picture  and 
frame  weigh  3000  lbs.  The  latter  is  a  marvel  of 
workmanship,  and  was  made  in  Paris  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  the  great  historical  artist." 
The  artist  might  not  be  flattered  if  he  learned  that 
his  picture  is  chiefly  valued  on  account  of  its  weight 
and  the  beauty  of  its  frame.  Mr.  Stewart's  inten- 
tion was  to  adorn  his  gallery  in  New  York  with  this 
work  of  art.  But  he  found,  as  Dr.  Primrose  did,  that 
space  failed  him ;  yet,  instead  of  being  nonplussed, 
like  the  ingenuous  Vicar  of  Wakefield,  he  sent  it  to 
excite  the  astonishment  of  the  visitors  to  his  hotel 
at  Saratoga  Springs. 


m 


m 


204 


Xlll. 

A    TRIP   TIIUOUGII    CANADA. 

The  first  time  that  I  entered  tlie  Dominion  of 
Canada,  I  travelled  over  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway 
from  Portland,  the  principal  city  in  the  State  of 
]\Iaine,  to  IMontreal,  the  commercial  capital  of  the 
Province  of  Quebec.  The  situation  of  both  cities  is 
very  picturesque.  Few  sights  are  finer  than  the 
Bay  of  Casco,  on  which  Portland  is  built.  The  bay 
is  of  large  area  and  studded  with  wooded  islands. 
The  harbour  is  one  of  the  safest  and  deepest  on  the 
coast  of  New  England;  it  is  sheltered  from  dangerous 
winds ;  it  is  never  obstructed  by  ice ;  the  Orcat 
Eadcru  steamed  up  to  the  wharf,  and  was  moored 
alongside  it.  As  Portland  is  situated  on  an  undu- 
lating slope,  the  streets  are  not  monotonously  level ; 
the  buildings  erected  since  the  great  fire  are  sub- 
stantial structures  ;  the  public  ofl&ces,  such  as  the 
City  Hall,  the  Custom  House,  and  the  Post  Office, 
are  imposing  edifices.  Trees  arc  thickly  planted  in 
front  of  the  houses  in  the  principal  streets ;  this  pro- 
duces a  pleasant  effect.  It  is  said  that  there  are  as 
many  as  3,000  of  these  trees  ;  and  as  the  population 
does  not  much  exceed  30,000,  there  is  ample  pro- 
vision made  for  shade  from  the  sun,  and  there  is  a 
plausible  reason  for  styling  this  the  "  Forest  City." 


A  TRIP  TnRornn  panada. 


205 


Wliilc  tlie  inhabitants  arc  thus  protected  from  tlio 
bla/iug  summer  sun,  they  are  supposed  to  l)e  ke])t 
sober  all  the  year  round  by  restrictive  legislation 
against  druukeniiess.  If  the  water  they  drink  be  as 
unpalatable  as  that  which  was  served  to  mo  at  a 
hotel,  they  have  no  cause  to  ihank  the  legislators 
who  try  to  hinder  them  from  drinking  anything  else. 
I  was  assured  that  intoxication  was  not  an  extinct 
vice,  and  I  was  shown  how  to  get  as  much  strong 
drink  as  I  chose  to  pay  for.  If  the  Lair'd  of  Dum- 
biedykes  had  visited  this  place,  he  would  have  been 
strengthened  in  his  belief  about  the  omnipotence  of 
"  siller." 

It  has  been  found  necessary  to  render  the  Act 
far  more  stringent  than  it  was  original!}.  The 
manufacture  of  all  intoxicants  is  now  prohibited  in 
this  State  ,  the  offender  is  liable  to  two  months'  im- 
prisonment and  a  fine  of  SI  ,000;  negligence  in  any 
magistrate  or  attorney  in  enforcing  the  law  being 
punished  with  a  penalty  of  $100.  I  failed  in  obtain- 
ing evidence  that  this  State  was  pre-eminent  above 
others  for  the  absence  of  crimes  of  violence.  The 
last  annual  report  of  the  Attorney-General  docs  not 
favour  the  conclusion  that  the  legislation  against 
drinking  alcoholic  beverages  has  converted  the  State 
of  Maine  into  a  terrestrial  paradise.  Law^yers  have 
no  reason  to  complain  ;  they  are  kept  fully  occupied 
in  prosecuting  those  who  infringe  "  the  liquor  law." 

A  sentence  written  by  Dr.  iS^oah  Webster  might 
be  pondered  with  advantage  by  his  fellow-country- 
men in  the  State  of  Maine  ;  "  Laws  can  only  check 
the  public  effects  of  vicioii '  principles ;  but  can  never 
reach  the  principles  thems  Ives."  jSature  has  done 
more  to  make  Portland  an  agreeable  place  of  abode 


k 


|:    .   ,.   ,  j     •   I  v»Tp 


20G 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


m 


than  the  most  fantastic  legislation  can  counter- 
balance. Even  were  it  otherwise,  the  name  of  this 
city  is  certain  of  being  held  in  kindly  remembrance ; 
Mr.  Longfellow  was  born  here. 

The  scenery  along  the  railway,  after  leaving  Port- 
land is  pretty,  without  being  remarkable.  To  the 
left  there  is  a  mountain  range  which  gratifies  the 
eye.  After  ninety  miles  have  been  traversed,  the 
passengers  who  purpose  making  a  tour  in  the  White 
Mountains  leave  the  train  at  Goshani.  One  of  these, 
Mount  Washington,  to  which  the  Indians  gave  the 
simple  name  of  "  Agiocochook,"  has  always  seemed 
to  me  the  most  wonderful  mountain  in  the  world, 
provided  the  account  I  read  of  it  in  a  local  news- 
paper be  literally  accurate ;  it  was  there  said  to  be 
"  crowned  with  perpetual  snow  for  nine  months  out 
of  the  twelve."  At  Island  Pond  station,  about  150 
miles  distant  from  Portland,  a  halt  is  made  for  the 
double  purpose  of  taking  refreshment  and  having 
the  luggage  examined  by  the  custom-house  officers. 
Soon  after  this  station  has  been  left  behind,  a  little 
stream  is  pointed  out  as  foi'ming  the  boundary-line 
between  the  two  countries.  This  portion  of  Cana- 
dian soil,  w^hich  is  designated  the  Eastern  Town- 
sliips,  has  a  rich  and  well-tilled  aspect.  Nothing, 
however,  is  specially  noteworthy  till  the  Victoria 
J3ridgo  is  reached  ;  this  is  quite  as  wonderful  as 
a  work  of  man  as  the  great  river  which  it  spans 
is  as  a  work  of  nature.  The  bridge  is  one  mile  and 
a  half  long.  Nearly  a  million  anel  a  half  sterling 
was  expended  upon  it.  Its  solidity  is  as  notable  as 
its  lenu'th.  Men  shook  their  heads  and  confidently 
predicted  that  the  piers  would  be  swept  away  by 
tlie  enormous  pressure  of  the  ice  when   the   river 


^?V,'v 


^^v 


A    TRIP   THUOUOII    CANADA. 


207 


became  a  series  of  miniature  and  swiftly  moving 
icebergs  in  the  spring  time ;  but  the  rapid  current 
has  borne  along  masses  of  ice  year  after  year  with- 
out the  stability  of  the  bridge  having  been  en- 
dangered for  a  moment. 

Montreal  is  one  of  the  most  remaT'kablc  cities  of 
North  America.  Though  GOO  miles  distant  from 
the  ocean,  it  may  be  termed  a  sea-port.  Vessels 
exceeding  3,000  tons  burden  can  lie  alongside  its 
solid  stone  quays.  Not  so  quaint  as  Quebec,  nor  so 
new  as  Toronto,  loss  French  than  the  former,  and 
less  English  than  the  latter,  it  represents  an  epitome 
of  Canadian  history.  The  two  European  races  which 
people  Canada  meet  here  on  neutral  yet  congenial 
ground.  Working  in  unison,  they  have  built  up  a 
splendid  city  and  established  commercial  relations 
with  the  civilized  globe.  The  pleasures  of  life  can 
be  enjoyed  here  while  the  business  of  money-making 
is  being  actively  pursued ;  the  successful  merchant 
who  has  a  house  on  Mount  Royal  is  a  man  to  be 
envied.  From  Montreal,  I  went  by  the  Grand 
Trunk  to  Prescott  Junction,  whence  I  proceeded  by 
a  branch  line  to  Ottawa,  the  capital  of  the  Dominion. 
In  my  opinion,  the  capital  of  a  country  ought  to  be 
the  principal  city  in  it.  A  long  time  must  elapse 
before  Ottawa  becomes  entitled  to  the  appellation 
of  the  principal  city  of  Canada.  It  is  as  artificial  a 
capital  as  Washington.  It  was  selected  because  the 
conflicting  claims  of  Quebec,  i\[ontreal,  and  Toronto 
being  irreconcilable,  the  choice  was  left  to  the  Queen, 
who  entled  the  rivalry  by  bestowing  tlie  palm  upon 
Ottawa.  Its  foundation  dates  from  the  year  1827. 
The  population  is  still  under  30,000,  yet  the  city  is 
gradually  increasing  alike  in  inhabitants  and  influ- 


it     ' 


!    i:'l 


I'll! 


208 


nOLUMBTA    AND    CANADA. 


encc ;  and,  wlicn  it  becomes  a  station  on  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway,  its  progress  may  bo  equal  to 
its  ambition.    The  Houses  of  Parliament  and  Govern- 
ment Offices  arc   the   most  conspicuous  objects  in 
Ottawa.      They    are    built  in   the    Gothic    style  of 
architecture,  and  are  at  once  impressive  in  appear- 
ance, and  admirably  adapted  for  the  purposes  they 
are  intended  to  subserve.     Situated  on  an  eminence 
resembling  the  rocky  heights  on  which  the  castles 
of  Edinburgh  and  Stirling  stand,  they  dominate  the 
scene.     The  Ottawa  river  winds  at  the  base  of  this 
eminence ;    the  view   from    the    path    on  the    side 
facing  the  river  is  as  romantic  as  can  be  imagined. 
Rideau  Hall,  the  residence  of  the  Governor-General, 
is    in  the    suburb    of  New    Edinburgh,   whicli   lies 
below   the    capital.      Tlie    gardens    of   this    official 
abode  are  nicely  laid  out ;    they  had  been  planned 
and,    when  I  saw  them,  were  kept  in  order    by  a 
Scottish     gardener.       The    house     itself,    when    I 
first  visited  it,  was  neither  commodious  nor  attrac- 
tive;    but   it   has    been  lately  rebuilt  and   greatly 
improved.     Across  the  river  is  the  town  of  Hull  in 
the  Province  of  Quebec.     I  was   startled  with  the 
change    on    entering    it.      It    seemed  as  if  I   had 
crossed  the   Channel   from   Southampton  to  Havre 
and  entered   Normandy.     A  signboard  on  the  first 
tiouse  i  sav/  intimated  that  "  tabac  "  was  sold  there  ; 
ihe  first  woman  I  passed  in  the  main  street  had  the 
look  of  a  Norman    oeasaut.      Contrasts   like   these 
strikingly   remind    the    stranger    that    Canada  is  a 
far  more  varied  country  than  the    United    States. 
There  ai'e  many  other  objects  of  interest  in  Ottawa; 
however,  I  cannot  describe  them  in  detail  at  present, 
haviuGr  lo  take  the  train  back  to  Prescott   Junction 


w- 


A   TRIP   THROUGH    CANADA. 


209 


Oil  my  way  over  the  Grand  Trunk  to  Toronto,  which 
is  reached  in  about  ton  hours'  time.  The  traveller 
who  has  to  wait  for  the  train  ai  Prescott  Junction 
will  not  regret  taking  luncheon  or  dinner  there.  A 
better  managed  refreshment-room,  when  I  visited  it, 
could  with  difficvdty  be  found,  even  on  the  line  from 
Paris  to  Marseilles. 

Having  formerly  journeyed  to  the  capital  of 
Ontario  in  the  manner  described,  I  purposed  going 
thither  on  the  present  occasion  by  way  of  Niagara 
Falls,  revisiting  the  Province  of  Quebec  by  descend- 
ing the  St.  Lawrence  and  continuing  my  route  over 
the  Intercolonial  Railway  as  far  as  Halifax.  Cir- 
cumstances which  have  no  interest  for  the  reader 
obliged  me  to  leave  out  the  most  novel  and  interest- 
ing part  of  this  programme.  To  traverse  the  mari- 
time Provinces  of  Canada,  as  well  as  the  Province  of 
British  Columbia  and  the  prairie  Province  of  Mani- 
toba, is  still  one  of  my  nnsatisfied  desires.  Somo 
day  or  other,  I  hope  to  journey  through  this 
magnificent  Dominion,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  so  as  to  be  enabled  to  compare  it,  as  a  whole, 
with  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  over  which 
I  have  travelled  from  ocean  to  ocean.  I  do  not 
regret,  however,  that  I  was  permitted  to  devote 
more  time  than  I  might  otherwise  have  done  to  a 
second  and  more  prolonged  study  of  the  Province  of 
Ontario. 

Stopping  at  Niagara  Falls  on  my  way  to  Toronto, 
I  gazed  with  renewed  wonder  on  the  grand  sight  of 
the  ffreen  waters  which  flow  out  of  Lake  Erie  takinjr 
a  majestic  leap  on  their  headlong  course  towards  the 
deep  blue  waters  of  Lake  Ontario,  whence  issues  the 
noble  river  St.  Lawrence.     I  crossed  the  Lake  in  the 


■'\ 


''W'  '!- 


210 


r.OLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


I-     ) 


i'Mf'^^M 


Hi 


City  of  Toronto  steamer,  which  plies  between  Lewis- 
ton  and  the  capital  of  Ontario.  A  conspicuous 
object  from  the  United  States  side  of  the  Lake  is  the 
monument  to  General  Brock.  No  other  man  did 
more  than  Sir  Isaac  Brock  to  secure  the  indepen- 
dence of  Upper  Canada.  He  filled  the  office  of 
President  there  v^hen  an  armed  force,  numberino: 
2,500,  came  from  the  United  States  in  order  to 
subjugate  the  people  and  annex  their  coveted  terri- 
tory. To  oppose  the  invader,  he  had  300  regulars, 
400  militia,  and  600  Indians,  under  his  command. 
Resistance  having  been  deemed  hopeless,  he  had  been 
instructed  to  fall  back  upon  Montreal.  He  deter- 
mined, if  possible,  to  strike  a  blow  before  retirino-. 
But  it  was  doubtful  whether  the  militia  would 
engage  in  the  hazardous  enterprise.  Parading  them 
before  the  Court-house  in  York,  he  addressed  them 
from  the  steps,  stating  what  his  own  desire  was,  and 
adding  that  those  men  who  were  ready  to  volunteer 
in  so  desperate  a  service  would  take  one  pace  to  the 
front.  The  four  companies  simultaneously  advanced 
one  pace,  and  gave  three  cheers  for  their  Chief. 
How  well  he  commanded  them,  and  how  admirably 
they  followed  him,  is  a  story  which  is  familiar  to  all 
readers  of  Canadian  history.  When  he  fell  mortally 
wounded,  his  last  words  were,  "  Push  on,  brave  York 
volunteers."  His  death  was  nearly  as  serviceable 
as  his  life  in  inspiring  men,  fighting  in  defence  of 
their  liberties  and  their  homes,  to  resist  the  enemy 
with  a  resolution  which  had  its  reward.  The  battle 
of  Queenstown  Heights,  in  which  Brock  lost  his  life, 
like  others  which  preceded  and  followed  it,  was  as 
grcai  a  political  blunder  as  the  attack  of  the  British 
troops  upon  Lexington  and  Concord,  or  the  contest 


uous 

s  tlie 

t  did 

3pen- 

3e   of 

lerhig 

iV    to 

terri- 

;ulars, 

raand. 

l1  been 

deter- 

tii'ino". 

would 

g  tliem 

d  them 

as,  and 

lunteer 

!  to  tlie 

^vancod 
Chief, 
nirably 
X  to  all 

|ior  tally 
e  York 
iceable 
|Cnce  of 
|)  enemy 
e  battle 
Ids  life, 
was  as 
British 
contest 


A    TRIP   TIIKOUGil    CANADA. 


211 


at  Bunker  Hill.  Every  schoolboy  in  Ontario  is 
taught  how  his  forefathers  boldly  and  successfully 
withstood  the  onslaught  of  the  forces  of  the  United 
States  upon  a  "free,  a  loyal,  and  a  contented  people." 
If  the  Government  of  the  United  States  had  deter- 
mined upon  a  method  to  render  the  annexation  of 
Canada  almost  impossible,  they  could  not  have  suc- 
ceeded in  accomplishing  their  object  more  effectually 
than  by  trying  to  conquer  Canada  in  177G  and  181 2, 
and  by  failing  to  prevent  the  infamous  Fenian  raids 
in  our  day. 

A  political  blunder,  still  less  defensible,  was  the 
emphatic  refusal  of  the  United  States  Government  to 
reimburse  Canada  for  the  damages  sustained  during 
the  Fenian  raids,  at  the  very  time  that  the  same 
Government  demanded  an  apology  for  and  a  reference 
to  arbitration  of  the  Alahama  claims.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  the  Canadians  should  consider  them- 
selves the  victims  of  high-handed  dealing.  The 
Treaty  of  Washington  was  a  gross  injustice  in  their 
eyes.  Their  grievances,  though  dormant,  are  not 
dead;  the  bad  spirit  which  has  been  created  bodes 
ill  for  the  future.  They  reasonably  argued  that  the 
injury  which  they  had  sustained  was  obvious  and  un- 
questionable. They  remembered  how  readily  their 
Government  paid  the  losses  incurred  when  St.  Al- 
ban's  was  plundered.  It  would  have  cost  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  very  little  to  conci- 
liate the  Canadians,  and  it  was  an  error  in  tactics, 
not  only  to  refuse  them  the  material  compensation 
to  which  they  had  a  just  claim,  but  even  to  refrain 
from  expressing  those  words  of  good  fellowship 
which  not  only  salve  over  many  sins  of  omission, 
but  also  help  to  convert  foes  into  allies. 


J\ 


o 


l-v;^;*P 


01O 


(lOLTMlUA    AND    PANADA. 


After  having  endured  broiling  heat  in  a  railway- 
carriage  from  Niagara  Falls,  it  was  a  welcome  cliango 
to  sail  under  an  awning  in  a  steamer  through  the 
cool  breeze  upon  Lake  Ontario.  A  stoppage  is 
made  at  Niagara,  a  pleasant  place  of  summer  resort 
for  Canadians.  This  was  originally  the  capital  of 
Upper  Canada.  When  Mr.  Weld  saw  it  in  170(),  it 
contained  seventy  dwellings,  a  gaol,  a  Court-house, 
and  a  Legislative  Assembly.  It  was  then  called 
Newark ;  it  had  previously  borne  the  names  of 
Lenox  and  Nassau.  Upon  Toronto  becoming  the 
capital,  this  place  was  again  known  by  the  name 
which  was  first  given  to  it,  a  name  which  it  has 
preserved  ever  since.  Before  we  had  traversed  half 
the  distance  across  the  Lake,  the  air  became  so  cool 
that  an  overcoat  was  a  comfort.  There  was  nothing 
to  vary  the  prospect,  excepting  here  and  there  the 
white  sails  of  a  schooner  and  the  smoking  funnel  of 
a  steam-boat.  Lidecd,  it  was  difficult  to  believe  that 
this  vast  sheet  of  water  was  but  a  Lake.  Compared 
with  the  Lakes  of  Constance  and  Geneva  it  is  a  sea ; 
the  area  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora  is  smaller  by  800 
square  miles;  yet  Lake  Ontario  is  of  but  limitod 
extent,  its  area  being  0,000  square  miles,  when  com- 
pared with  such  iidand  seas  as  Lake  Michigan  and 
Lake  Superior,  the  area  of  the  former  being  12,600, 
and  of  the  latter  22,400  square  miles.  When  the 
Avind  blows  and  the  angry  waves  are  crested  with 
foam,  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  the  best-skilled  sailor 
to  distinguish,  either  by  appearance  or  sensation, 
between  such  a  piece  of  water  as  this  and  the  ojien 
and  apparently  limitless  deep.  Reflections  of  this 
class  are  abruptly  terminated  when  the  Custom- 
House  officer  comes  to  examine  the  luggage. 


A    TI!U'    TIIROUUH    CANADA. 


2l;3 


I  am  not  a  smuo-glcr  by  profession.  Howovor 
congenial  snch  a  pursuit  may  have  been  to  Dirk 
ITattei'aick,  it  lias  never  had  any  cliarnis  for  me. 
IMoreover,  I  am  unable  to  draw  the  line  between 
stealino^  and  smu<Tf<rling,  or  to  reo-ard  a  smuj^u'ler  as 
any  better  than  a  vulgar  thief.  I  fear,  however,  that 
I  am  an  exception.  Travellers  on  the  continents  of 
Europe  and  America  are  treated  as  suspected  smug- 
glers. I  told  the  Canadian  Custom-Houso  officer 
that  I  had  no  more  intention  of  introducing  any- 
thing into  Canada  surreptitiously  than  of  marrying 
my  grandmother,  and  that,  even  if  I  entertained  so 
wicked  a  thought,  I  should  be  unaware  what  to 
select.  Of  course  he  did  not  believe  me.  He  ran- 
sacked my  luggage  with  greater  thoroughness, 
thinking,  no  doubt,  that  my  protestation  of  inno- 
cence was  only  a  mask  to  deceive  him.  Nor  can  he 
be  blamed.  His  official  belief  is  that  a  traveller's 
chief  end  is  to  snum'fifle,  and  that  his  business  is  to 
thwart  this  knavery.  Certainly  ho  performed  his 
duty  with  unswerving  vigilance.  The  rule  at  home 
is  much  more  sensible,  the  officers  at  our  seaports 
being  ordered  to  examine  the  luggage  of  those 
persons  only  who  excite  their  suspicion,  or  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  choosing  one  article  out  of  a 
passenger's  luggage  for  inspection.  It  is  on  the 
same  rational  principle  that  a  coast-guardsman  does 
not  board  every  passing  vessel  in  (juest  of  contra- 
band goods,  and  that  a  policeman  does  not  tjiko 
every  person  in  the  street  into  custody  when  he  is 
on  the  look-out  for  a  criminal.  In  Canada,  however, 
it  is  thought  necessary  to  follow  the  course  I  have 
indicated,  and  certainly  I  can  bear  testimony  to  the 
minuteness  with  which  the  officer  on  board  the  Cifi/ 


If-, 


■-ST: 
i'i 
''i  ■ 


I'- 


ll   i 


21i 


rOIiUMBlA    AND    CANADA. 


of  Toronto  examined  the  lug<Tagc,  and  to  tlio  de- 
termination lie  evinced  to  subject  both  himself  and 
the  passengers  to  much  imnecessary  trouble.  An 
unanswerable  reason  against  over-strictness  on  the 
part  of  the  Customs  authorities,  is  the  fact  that 
nearly  every  article  of  commerce  is  dearer  in  the 
Republic  than  in  the  Dominion.  I  did  not  see  any 
discoveries  made  by  the  energetic  officer  on  board, 
and  I  was  almost  sorry  to  think  that  his  toil  had 
been  fruitless.  It  is  but  fair  to  add  that  he  per- 
formed his  thankless  task  with  a  courtesy  which  did 
him  credit. 

Lake  Ontario  is  65  miles  Avide,  at  the  broadest 
part,  and  1 80  miles  long.  In  mid-lake,  the  breeze 
was  chilling ;  but,  as  we  neared  the  Canadian  shore, 
the  heat  resembled  the  blast  of  a  furnace.  The 
lofty  spire  of  St.  James's  Cathedral  is  the  first  object 
which  is  remarked  by  a  spectator.  Quite  as  con- 
spicuous is  the  cloud  of  smoke  which  overhangs  the 
houses.  This  is  due  to  the  chimne^'-s  of  several 
manufactories.  No  law  prohibits  a  manufacturer 
from  polluting  the  air  with  volumes  of  dense  smoke, 
an  omission  which,  in  the  interest  of  health  even 
more  than  for  the  sake  of  appearance,  ought  to  be 
repaired.  When  Lord  Palmerston  was  Home 
Secretary,  he  distinguished  himself  by  persuading 
Parliament  to  pass  an  Act  forbidding  the  unnecessary 
formation  of  smoke ;  the  result  in  London  has  been 
remarkable.  Formerly,  the  manufactories  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Thames  used  to  resemble  small 
volcanoes  in  their  smokiest  stage ;  now,  the  emission 
of  smoke  from  a  chimney-stalk  is  an  exception  which 
meets  with  prompt  punishment.  In  consequence  of 
the  absence  of  smok(^  some  flowers  thrive  and  bloom 


A   TRIP   in  ROUGH   CANADA. 


215 


in  tlie  Temple  Gardens  nearly  as  wr^l  as  they  do  in 
Devonsliire,  whereas, before  this  beneficent  Act  was  in 
operation,  no  floAver  could  flourish  there.  Moreover, 
the  manufacturer  is  the  gjiiner,  as  his  furnaces  con- 
sume less  fuel.  The  legislators  of  Ontario  would  do 
well  to  profit  by  this  lesson.  A  spacious  bay  affords 
shelter  to  the  shi])ping  at  Toronto.  An  island,  on 
Avhich  a  few  trees  grow,  and  on  which  there  are  a  few 
houses,  as  well  as  a  lighthouse  and  the  waterworks, 
lies  on  the  outer  side  of  this  bay.  Seen  frojn  a 
distance,  this  island  resembles  one  in  the  Pacific 
fringed  with  palm-trees.  On  nearer  approach,  tlio 
aspect  is  less  attractive. 

Toronto  was  founded  in  the  spring  of  1794  by 
General  Simcoe,  and  was  named  York,  a  name  which 
was  changed  in  183  i  to  that  which  it  now  bears, 
being  one  given  to  the  spot  by  the  Indians,  and 
signifying  in  their  tongue  "  the  place  of  meeting." 
Its  progress  was  not  very  rapid  at  first.  During 
tlie  war  which  the  United  States  waged  between 
1812  and  1815  it  was  occupied  by  the  troops  of  that 
country,  and  its  public  buildings  were  burnt  to  the 
ground.  Tliis  was  done  by  the  express  orders  of 
the  United  States  Government,  the  declared  purpose 
being  that  the  innocent  inhabitants  of  Upper  Canada 
nn"ght  bo  made  to  suffer  as  severely  as  possible. 
Of  late,  Toronto  has  grown  very  fast,  and  has  risen 
very  high  in  wealth  and  importance.  Not  long 
before  the  beginning  of  tlie  present  century,  the  site 
of  this  city  was  the  abode  of  two  Indian  families  ;  in 
1817,  the  population  numbered  1,200;  in  1850,  it 
numbered  25,000 ;  it  is  now  nearly  70,000.  As  a 
commercial  emporium,  Toronto  has  become  a  for- 
midable rival  to  Montreal.     It  is  the  starting-place 


i\ 


[^•I"f'1       ■' 


21 G 


COLUMP.I.V    AND    CANADA. 


,/fIj 


for  throe  tnmk-linos  of  rail ;  tlio  Grand  Trunk,  tlio 
(ireat  Western,  and  the  Northern  of  Canada.     During 
the  summer  months,  there  is  daily  communication 
with   Montreal    by    steamer,    Avhile   a   considonible 
amount  of  traffic  is  carried  on  with  the  Lake  towns 
by    sailing   vessels.       Indeed,    Toronto    is    to    the 
Dominion,  what  Chicago  is  to  the  United    States. 
The  farmers  of  the  West  send  their  produce  for  ship- 
ment, and  they  come  here  to  make  their  purchases. 
Toronto  is  the  seat  of  the  Courts  of  Law,  of  two  Uni- 
versities, and  of  the  Provincial  Lcgislal  are.    The  lead- 
ing newspaper  in  the  Dominion  appears  here.     The 
publishers  who  do  the  largest  business  in  the  country 
have  their  offices  in  this  city.     As  a  mart  for  com- 
merce, a  place  of  business,  a  hive  of  manufactures,  a 
city  where  the  arts  Avliich  soften  and  adorn  life  are 
cultivated   and   held    in   honour,   a   centre   whence 
radiate  political  and  social  ideas  which  influence  the 
entire   Canadian   division    of  America,  Toronto  not 
only  justifies    its    position    as    the    capital  of  the 
Province  of  Ontario,  but  is  beyond  all  question  one 
of  the   most  truly  representative  cities  in  the  great 
Dominion  of  Canada. 

I  was  surprised  to  see  how  many  changes  had 
occurred  in  this  city  during  the  few  years  wdiich 
have  elapsed  since  my  last  visit.  The  rows  of  new 
warehouses  and  merchants'  offices  in  the  street  front- 
ing the  bay  are  equal  in  struct. iral  effect  and 
magnitude  to  any  which  are  to  be  found  in  North 
America.  In  the  suburbs,  large  numbers  of  villas 
have  been  built  for  the  accommodation  of  merchants 
who  have  enriched  themselves.  When  Captain 
AFarryat  was  here  in  183 7, he  declared  that  "  the  houses 
and  stores  were  not  to  be  compared  with  those  of 


p 


A  Tinr  Tiiuouou  Canada. 


217 


the  American  towns  opposite."  By  way  of  explana- 
tion, lie  added  that  "  the  Englislinian  had  built 
nccoi'diiify  to  his  means,  the  American  according  to 
his  expectations."  Now  that  the  private  and  public 
buildings  are  quite  as  fine  as  those  of  any  city  in  the 
United  States  it  is  clear,  if  Captain  ^larryat's  explana- 
tion hold  good,  that  the  means  of  the  citizens  of 
Toronto  are  as  vast  as  the  expectations  of  their  neigh- 
bours. Not  only  was  I  struck  with  the  new  ware- 
houses and  villas  and  with  the  imposing  new  Post 
Office,  but  I  was  also  im|)ressed  with  the  progress  in 
luxury  shown  by  the  two  handsome  Club  houses  which 
have  recently  been  erected,  and  which,  alike  in 
external  effect  and  internal  arrangement,  would  do 
credit  to  Pall  Mall  or  St.  James's  Street. 


]}..  i 


It     !  ! 


'III 


218 


1  i> 

m 


XIV. 


TIIF,    rnOVINf'K    f)F   OXTMUO. 


Fknmmore  Cooper,  the  AValtcr  Scott  of  tho  United 
States,  who  threw  a  halo  of  romantic  interest  over 
tlio  Red  Indian  of  Nortli  America  at  tlio  time  wlie?i 
liis  power  was  departing  along  with  the  primeval 
forest  wiiich  had  been  his  home,  wrote  another  book 
which  once  attracted  as  much  notice  as  any  of  his 
novels.  It  was  entitled  "  Notions  of  the  Ame- 
ricans picked  up  by  a  travelling  Bachelor,"  Avas 
])rofessedly  from  the  pen  of  an  English  traveller 
in  the  United  States,  and  was  published  at  Phila- 
delphia in  1828.  Cooper  there  asked  : — "  AVhy 
is  not  the  fertile  Province  of  Upper  Canada  as 
much  distinguished  for  its  advancement  in  all 
tho  useful  arts  of  lif?  ay  the  States  of  the  neigh- 
bouring  Tlepublic  ?  and  n'liy,  under  so  many  phy- 
sical disadvantages,  are  the  comparatively  sterile 
and  rocky  States  of  New  England  remarkable  for 
those  very  qualities  amid  their  own  flourishing  and 
healthful  sisters?"  Tho  answer  given  to  this  query 
is  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  States  which  excited 
Cooper's  admiration  are  notable  for  an  "  inteUigence  " 
Avhich,  according  to  him,  is  lacking  in  the  British 
Province.  How  far  this  may  have  been  true  fifty 
years  ago,  I  cannot  tell ;  but  I  am  certain  that  the 


■""■^IP^ 


THE    riiOTIXCE   OP   ONTARIO. 


219 


Province  now  chIIcmI  Ontario  lias  not  been  hindorod, 
by  an  uctnal  dcHciLMicy  of  intcllij^ence  in  the  inhabi- 
tants, from  making  as  rapid  prof^ress,  in  all  the  nso- 
ful  arts  of  life,  as  any  State  in  New  Enghmd.  Un- 
fortunately, it  is  customary  in  the  United  States  to 
sneer  at  everything  Canadian,  and  to  treat  the  great 
Dominion,  which  com])rises  half  the  North  American 
continent,  as  a  subject  of  pity  or  contempt.  If, 
however,  the  Dominion  were  really  contemptible,  less 
notice  would  be  taken  of  its  doings.  Unless  I 
entirely  misinterpret  and  misrepresent  public  senti- 
ment in  the  United  States,  there  is  a  latent  fear  lest 
the  progress  of  Can:ida  shoidd  falsify  a  good  many 
unfavourable  prophecies  and  disappoint  a  good  many 
unneighbourly  expectations. 

With  the   dogmatic  and   depreciatory   statement 
which  Cooper  made  public  in  1828, 1  think  it  instruc- 
tive to  contrast  the  verdict  which  a  great  and  unpre- 
judiced New  Englander  passed   in  1859  upon  the 
capital  of  this  maligned  Province.     In  a  letter  written 
to  the  Honourable  Edward  Everett,  in  that  year, 
"Mr.  Ticknor  says : — "  Toronto  is  much  more  of  a 
place,  and  there  are  more  cultivated  people  there 
than  I  had  any  notion  of.     They  have  a  good  college 
there  for  certain   purposes,  but  the   province   lias 
another,  on  a  larger  and  more  liberal  scale.     They 
are  just  completing  for  it  a  very  large  stone  building 
— three  sides  of  a  quadrangle — which  is  a  finer  build- 
ing and   better  adapted  to  its   purposes  than  any 
similar  one  in  the  United  States ;  I  suspect  a  finer 
building  than  we  have  for  any  purpose  whatever, 
except   the  Capitol   at  Washington.     It   is   in  tho 
Xorman   style  of  architecture."     This  is   not  very 
enthusiastic  praise;  most  of  it  being  expended  upon 


p[ 


220 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


.1  building.  Yefc  it  is  significant  for  two  reasons. 
The  first  is  that  Mr.  Ticknor  was  unprepared  to  find 
any  cultivated  people  in  Toronto,  and  the  second 
is  that  he  was  astonished  to  learn  that  those  per- 
sons whom  he  had  lieard  others  depreciate,  had 
advanced  so  far  in  "  the  useful  arts  of  life,"  as  to 
make  splendid  provision  for  the  highest  branch  of 
education.  With  every  desire  to  be  impartial,  I  have 
signally  failed  in  perceiving  a  distinct  want  of 
"  intelligence  "  in  my  Canadian  brethren  as  compared 
with  what  prevails  among  the  citizens  of  the  States 
of  New  Eno'land.  If  this  w^ere  ever  true,  the  trans- 
formation  has  been  complete.  Let  it  be  admitted 
that  there  was  a  time  in  the  annals  of  what  used  to 
be  called  Upper  Canada,  when  the  chief  care  of  every 
inhabitant  \vas  to  provide  food  for  himself  and  his 
family  :  the  explanation  of  this,  however,  disposes  of 
the  sneer  of  Cooper^  and  does  no  credit  to  his  country- 
men. 

Some  of  the  best  blood  of  tlio  settlers  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Ontario  flowed  in  the  veins  of  the  United 
Empire  Loyalists,  and  still  flows  in  those  of  tlieir 
successors.  Having  been  expelled  from  their  an- 
cestral possessions  in  the  United  States,  they  found 
a  new  and  undisturbed  home  in  the  Province  over 
which  the  flag  of  Great  Britain  waved.  The  country 
was  then  a  wilderness,  and  existence  was  a  toil.  The 
settlers  were  inspired  with  an  idea  which  ennobled 
and  nerved  them  amidst  their  sufterino-s  and  labours. 
They  had  been  forced  to  leave  their  native  hoines 
because  they  would  not  help  or  sanction  the  disrup' 
tion  of  an  Empire  which  glorified  and  widened  the 
dominion  of  their  race,  even  though  it  were  indis- 
putable  that   its    temporary    rulers    had    failed    in 


m 


THE    PROVINCE    OF   ONTARIO. 


221 


uriderstandincr  and  fulfilliiiof  their  duties.     It  is  now 
admitted,  when  too  hite,  that  these  loyahsts  were 
men    of   high    principle  and  lofty  aspirations,  and 
none  regrets  their  punishment  more  sincerely  than 
the  descendants  of  those  persons  who  thought  them- 
selves the  friends  of  their  conntry  in  inflicting  it. 
Few  things  are  more  certain  than  the  fact  that,  if 
the  United  Empire  Loyalists  had  been  suffered  to 
remain   in    the   United    States,    the    foundation    of 
Upper  Canada  would  never  have  been  laid,  and  that 
the  annexation  of  this  portion  of  the  continent  to 
the  United  States   would  have  been  effected  sooix 
after  the  consolidation  of  the  Republic.     I  can  easily 
imagine  that,  when  this  century  began,  the  Canadian 
people  would  seem  backward  in  the  eyes  of  the  critic 
who  made   no  allowance  for  their  difficult'es.     At 
that  period  a  Royal  Mendicant,  on  entering  one  of 
their  towns,  might  have  been  subjected  to  the  dis- 
comfiture of  die  one  of  whom  it  is  told,  in  Mr.  Lane's 
version  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  that,  having  arrived 
at  a  town  poor  and  friendless,  he  was  kindly  enter- 
tained by  a  compassionate  tailor.     After  the  latter 
had  fed  and  lodged  him   for   three  days,  he  said, 
"  Dost  thou  not  know  any  trade  by  which  to  make 
gain?"      The  Mendicant,   who    Avas   a   king's  son, 
answered,  "  I  am  acquainted  with  the  law,  a  student 
of  science,   a  vriter,  and  an  arithmetician."     The 
tailor  told  hhn  that  these  things  yielded  no  profit  in 
that  country,  and  advised  the  jMendicant  "  to  take 
an  axe  and  a  rope  and  cut  firewood  in  the  desert, 
and  so  obtain  his  subsistence."     Even  now,  although 
plenty  of  men  who  are  learned  in  the  law,  who  arc 
students  of  science,  who  are  writers,  and  excellent 
nrithmeticians,  find  profitable  occu})ation  in  Ontario, 


.••- 


)!''■ 


ifwp^^w 


222 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


■jii'" 


H 


yet  the  surest  way  to  earn  a  livelihood  there  is  the 
old  and  simple  one  of  wielding  an  axe  or  guiding  a 
plough. 

When  the  recognition  of  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  and  the  conclusion  of 
peace  between  tne  parent  State  and  its  great  off- 
shoot were  the  subject  of  negotiation  at  Paris  in 
1782,  Franklin  included  the  ccasion  of  Canada  and 
the  Bermudas  among  the  things  whicli  Great  Britain 
ought  to  perform,  and  wliich  the  Government  he 
represented  had  a  right  to  demand.  Though  he 
struggled  vigorously  to  obtain  a  diplomatic  victory, 
yet  he  was  foiled  by  the  determination  of  the  British 
Ministry  to  refuse  even  a  hearing  to  claims  which 
they  regarded  as  alike  inadmissible  and  preposterous. 
The  invasion  of  Canada  was  the  first  important  act 
of  aggression  performed  by  the  Congress  of  the 
Thirteen  United  Colonies ;  another  attempt  to  sub- 
jugate her  was  the  motive,  though  not  the  pretext, 
for  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  declaring 
war  against  Great  Britain.  While  the  freedom  of 
Canada  to  guide  her  own  destiny  is  still  guaranteed 
by  connexion  with  the  Motherland,  Canadians  gene- 
rally believe  that  the  hope  of  adding  this  magnifi- 
cent piece  of  territory  to  the  Republic  continues  to 
animate  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The 
avowal  is  not  made  so  often  or  in  the  same  tone  as 
in  former  days. 

If  a  speaker  were  now  to  address  Congress  on 
this  topic,  he  would  probably  be  more  measured 
than  Mr.  Clay,  who  declared  in  that  august  Assembly 
— "  We  have  the  Canadas  as  much  under  our  com- 
mand as  Great  Britain  has  the  ocean.  I  would  take 
the  whole  Continent  from  them,  and  ask  them  no 


THE    PROVINCE   OF   ONTARIO. 


2''^'-) 


favours.  God  has  given  us  tlie  power  and  the 
means."  At  a  later  date  another  patriot,  whose 
reputation  as  an  orator  is  not  quite  equal  to  that 
of  Mr.  Clay,  but  whom  some  persons  regard  as  a 
representative  man,  undertook  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  to  compel  Canada  to  enter  tlie  Union, 
and  to  perform  this  task  with  the  aid  of  a  regiment 
of  Michigan  militi?.  Mr.  Senator  Chandler's  power 
to  execute  such  a  feat  was  questioned  by  many  of 
his  countrymen,  while  his  admirers  maintained  that 
he  was  not  the  man  to  allow  doubts  or  modesty  to 
hirdc-  Hiiii  from  indulging  in  speculations  or  pro- 
mi  3.  ixis  fanfaronade  subserved  one  useful  pur- 
pose. Till  he  made  thk  offer,  no  exact  parallel 
could  have  been  found  to  General  Grant,  the  fervent 
and  indiscreet  supporter  of  Lord  North,  who  boasted 
in  the  House  of  Commons  that  he  could  easily  march 
through  the  rebellious  Colonies  of  America  at  tha 
head  of  a  small  force  and  settle  all  grievances  by 
overawing  the  aggrieved.  The  fate  of  Burgoyne 
and  Cornwallis  enables  us  to  understand  how  General 
Grant  would  Invve  fared  had  his  foolish  vauntini; 
been  put  to  '  he  t<^st.  Mr.  Chandler  has  mercifully 
been  presci  e'  '•'^.^ni  failure  by  the  absence  of  an 
oi)portunity  to  -.ct  the  entire  part  of  Captain 
Bobadil. 

Charles  Sumner,  a  statesman  of  a  ven  diffc^rent 
stamp  from  Mr.  Chandler,  though  not  always  his 
superior  in  temperate  utterance,  told  the  convention 
of  the  Massachusetts  Republican  party,  held  at 
Worcester  \  1869,  that  the  transfer  of  Canada  Avas 
^^either  so  .  r;j't:^?  ncr  easy  as  had  been  supposed. 
Ae  wished  it  ^ )  happen,  but  he  did  not  expect  the 
immediate  fulfilment  of  his  wish.     He  thought,  how- 


.hi 


■y.-m 


224 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


ever,  that,  at  a  day  not  very  far  distant,  the  invita- 
tion made  by  FrankHn,  as  Commissioner  for  the 
Continental  Congress,  and  seconded  by  the  troops 
of  Arnold  and  Montgomery,  would  gladly  be  ac- 
cepted. Mr.  Samner  added, — "  Long  ago  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  passed  away,  living  only  in  its 
deeds.  Long  ago  the  great  Commissioner  rested 
from  his  labours  to  become  a  star  in  our  firmament. 
But  the  invitation  survives  not  only  in  the  archives 
of  our  history,  but  '<\  all  American  hearts,  constant 
and  continuing  as  wu  'St  issued,  believing  as  we 

do  that  such  a  union,  ..,  the  fulness  of  time,  with 
the  goodwill  of  the  Mother  Country  and  the  accord 
of  both  parties,  must  be  the  harbinger  of  infinite 
good.  Nor  do  I  doubt  that  this  will  be  accom- 
plished." He  knew  that  the  Reciprocity  Treaty, 
which  the  United  States  had  abrogated,  was  an 
arrangement  which  the  Canadians  desired  to  renew ; 
he  predicted  that  it  would  "  be  transfigu.red  in  union, 
while  our  plural  unit  is  strengthened  and  extended." 
I  need  not  discuss  this  forecast  of  the  future ; 
suffice  it  to  state  that  there  are  no  visible  tokens  of 
the  Canadians  being  inclined  to  hasten  or  help  the 
fulfilment  of  Charles  Sumner's  aspirations  and  pro- 
phecy. They  are  the  best  judges  of  what  would 
prove  for  their  advantage.  Even  if  they  thought  fit 
to  treat  with  indifference  the  passionate  and  bel- 
ligerent utterances  of  Clay  and  ]\Ir.  Chandler,  and  to 
regard  the  calmer  views  of  Charles  Sumner  as  the 
expressions  of  an  amiable  enthusiast,  they  might  cite 
the  opinions  of  other  citizens  of  the  United  States 
in  testimony  of  the  difficulty  of  dwelling  in  poli- 
tical amity  with  a  people  who  stigmatize  them  as 
unworthy  members  of  human  society.     Men  who  are 


THE   PROVINCE    OF  ONTARIO. 


225 


neitlier  accepted  statesmen  nor  professional  poli- 
ticians have  passed  a  condemnation  upon  the  inha- 
bitants of  Canada  which  it  is  hard  to  forget  or  ex- 
plain away.  Mr.  Thoreau  may  be  numbered  among 
them.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  nature, — an  Emerson 
of  the  open-air.  In  1850,  he  paid  a  short  visit  to 
Canada,  and,  in  rendering  an  account  of  his  impres- 
sions, he  remarked  that,  in  Montreal,  "  On  every 
prominent  ledge  you  could  see  England's  hands 
holding  the  Canadas,  and  I  judged  by  the  redness  of 
her  knuckles  that  she  would  soon  have  to  let  go." 
This  transcendental  utterance  either  meant  that 
England  retained  hold  of  Canada  by  main  force,  or 
else  that  she  maintained  her  place  there  till  it  pleased 
the  United  States  to  dispossess  her.  The  one  sup- 
position is  utterly  incorrect,  and  the  other  is  open 
to  serious  argument.  At  Quebec,  he  moralized  in  a 
strain  which  I  leave  it  to  the  Canadians  to  appre- 
ciate : — "  A  private  man  was  not  worth  so  much  in 
Canada  as  in  the  United  States ;  and  if  your  wealth 
in  any  measure  consists  in  manliness,  in  originality, 

and  independence,  you  had  better  stay  here 

I  suspect  that  a  poor  man  who  is  not  servile  is  a 
much  rarer  phenomenon  there  and  in  England  than 
in  tlie  Northern  United  States."  •  From  Cooper  to 
Thoreau  and  from  Clay  to  Sumner  the  language 
used  by  notable  citizens  of  the  United  States  con- 
cerning Canada,  is  not  more  complimentary  than 
that  which  they  apply  to  Mexico. 

Considering  that  there  is  an  unfriendliness  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  towards  her  northern 
neighbour  as  censurable  as  that  which  was  made  a 

•  "A  Yankee  in  Canada,"  by  H.  D.  Thoioau,  pp.  17,  76,  77. 

<4 


■HI 


226 


rnMlMBFA    AND   CANADA. 


charge  against  Great  Britain  in  the  official  state- 
ment of  the  case  of  the  llepubhc  respecting  tlio 
Alabama  claims,  I  cannot  understand  how  the  peace- 
ful and  harmonions  incorporation  of  the  Dominion 
can  be  seriously  entertained,  as  an  early  con- 
tingency, by  any  clear-headed  member  of  the  Con- 
gress of  the  Republic.  During  my  present  visit,  I 
was  informed  that  jealousy  of  the  United  States  was 
an  increasing  quantity  throughout  Canada,  while 
confidence  in  the  capacity  and  future  greatness  of 
the  Dominion  was  extending  in  a  remarkable  degree. 
Formerly,  a  few  men  were  pointed  out  to  me  who 
believed  that  annexation  to  the  neis^hbourino;  Re- 
public  was  only  a  question  of  time.  But  a  few 
years  have  elapsed  since  then,  and  most  of  these 
men  hava  either  recanted  their  opinions,  or  else 
found  it  politic  to  conceal  them.  The  scheme  of 
confederation  is  knitting  Canada  together  as  closely 
as  confederation  has  bound  the  thirteen  States  of 
America  into  a  nation.  To  be  a  member  of  the 
Parliament  at  Ottawa  is  an  ambition  as  satisfying  as 
to  be  a  member  of  the  Congress  which  once  met  at 
Philadelphia  and  now  meets  at  Washington.  The 
Dominion  Parliament  legislates  for  a  territory  much 
vaster  than  that  over  which  the  earlier  American 
Congresses  exercised  jurisdiction.  Canadian  legis- 
lators have  problems  to  consider  and  solve  as  im- 
portant as  any  which  occupy  and  perplex  the  legis- 
lators of  the  United  States.  When  the  centenary 
of  the  confederation  of  Canada  is  celebrated,  the 
population  and  power  of  the  Dominion  m.ay  not  bo 
inferior  to  those  of  the  United  States  when  the 
great  anniversary  of  the  Repnbhc  was  the  subject  of 
general    congratulation    and    rejoicing.      Certainly, 


~ 


THE   TROVINX'E    OP   ONTARIO. 


227 


state- 

y   tlio 

peacc- 

ninion 
con- 

3  Oon- 

/isit,  I 

es  was 
wliilo 

less  of 

legrcc. 

10  wlio 

Qg  Rg- 
a   few 

f  tlieso 

Dr    else 

leme  of 
closely 

;atcs  of 

of  the 

yiiig  as 

met  at 

The 

y  much 

tiicrican 

n  legis- 
s  ini- 
Icgis- 
iitenary 
ed,  the 
not  be 
len  the 
bject  of 
ertaiiily, 


ill  natural  resources,  the  Canadian  section  of  America 
lacks  nothing  which  the  United  States  section  pos- 
sesses, and  1  have  not  seen  it  proved  that  political 
aptitude  and  national  opportunity  are  less  on  tbo 
one  side  of  the  border  than  on  the  other. 

Each  Province  of  the  Dominion  has  its  local  Legis- 
lature. In  the  Canadian  Articles  of  Confederation, 
the  rule  which  governs  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  is  reversed.  The  latter  reserves  to 
Congress  the  power  to  control  tliose  matters  only 
which  are  specifically  set  forth,  all  the  questions  not 
so  reserved  falling  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
several  States.  In  Canada,  on  the  other  hand, 
everything  which  is  not  specifically  reserved  to  the 
several  Provinces  falls  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
Parliament.  Thus  the  Canadian  Parliament  is  com- 
paratively a  more  powerful  body  than  the  United 
States  Congress ;  it  can  exercise  an  all-pervading 
authority  without  dread  of  finding  an  insurmount- 
able obstacle  in  the  rights  of  a  local  Assembly.  An 
Act  of  Congress  could  not  have  abolished  slavery 
unless  special  power  to  pass  one  had  first  been 
granted  by  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  mado 
with  the  consent  of  three  fourths  of  the  States.  In 
a  similar  case,  an  Act  of  the  Dominion  Parliament 
would  effect  the  desired  object,  provided  that  the 
Crown  did  not  exercise  the  right  of  veto.  Subject 
to  this  limitation,  which  in  practice  is  found  to  be 
no  check  upon  beneficent  legislation,  the  Canadian 
Parliament  yields  to  but  one  legislative  body  in  the 
extent  and  comprehensiveness  of  its  jurisdiction. 
The  manner  in  which  this  Parliament  is  constituted 
and  performs  its  duty,  affords  an  attractive  study 

for  every  student   of  political   science.       Even  the 

(1  '> 


I  '\: 


i 

lit 

mm 


w 


228 


rOLrMBIA    AND    PANADA. 


I( 

i 

'  1 

I  J  ^ 


Ir  i 


citizens  of  the  United  States  mij^ht  learn  somctliin? 
by  obs(U'ving  tlio  working  of  this  free  constitution 
of  tlieir  neighbours.  Yet,  unless  Cooper  has  tlis- 
paraged  them,  they  are  unlikely  to  profit  by  the 
opportunity : — "  He  knew  no  people  that  trouble 
themselves  less  about  the  political  concerns  of  other 
nations  than  his  countrymen.  It  may  be  vanity, 
but  tliey  think  tliey  have  little  to  learn  in  this 
particular,  except  of  themselves." 

When  the  Province  of  Ontario  formed  its  Legis- 
lature, it  was  determined  with  equal  boldness  and 
wisdom  to  constitute  a  House  of  Assembly,  com- 
posed   of  a   single  Chamber.      In  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  on  the  contrary,  the  Legislature  consists  of 
a  Council  and  an  Assembly,  just  as,  in  each  State 
and  Territory  of   the  American  Union,  there   is   a 
Senate  and  a  House  of  Representatives.     The  Par- 
liament of  Great  Britain  is  the  model  which   has 
been  generally  copied,  alike  in  the  Old  and  the  New 
World,  although  the  reason  which  prevailed  when 
that  Parliament  obtained  its  present  form  has  ceased 
to  operate  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic.     Franklin 
was  too  astute  and  clear-headed  not  to  perceive  this, 
and  he  endeavoured  to  persuade  the  framers  of  the 
Constitution   of    his   country   to   provide   a   single 
Chamber  for   legislative   purposes.      The    State   of 
Pennsylvania  adopted  this  plan,  and  abandoned  it 
chiefly   because  the    State    did  not  like  to    appear 
singular.     The  States  of  Vermont  and  New  Hamp- 
shire followed  the   example  of   Pennsylvania.      In 
former  days,  it  might  have  been  difficult  to  induce 
tlie    Three    Estates  of   England   to   meet   together 
under   one    roof   and    deliberate   in   common,   and 
c\istom  has  '^onsecrated  the  existing  practice  in  the 


THE    1M{0V1X(M-:    OF    ONTARIO. 


229 


eyes  of  tlie  nation.  But  in  the  United  States  or 
Canada  it  was  easy  to  try  another  and  a  simpler 
arrangement,  and  the  Province  of  Ontario  merits 
])mise  not  only  for  having  made  the  experiment,  but 
for  having  given  it  a  fair  trial.  Ten  years  will  soon 
have  elapsed  since  the  Ontario  House  of  Assembly 
held  its  first  sitting.  Proposals  have  been  made  to 
add  an  Upper  House,  so  as  to  give  employment  to 
an  extra  number  of  representatives ;  but  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Province,  by  refusing  to  entertain 
these  suggestions,  have  shown  their  good  sense. 
In  truth,  tlie  single  Chamber  has  succeeded  as  well 
as  its  advocates  could  have  desired.  The  Honour- 
able Kupert  Wells,  the  present  Speaker,  told  mo 
that  the  members  exhibit  by  their  conduct  how 
conscious  they  are  of  the  responsibility  which  de- 
volves upon  them.  No  undue  haste  is  manifested 
in  passing  a  measure  which  has  been  the  subject  of 
grave  doubt  or  discussion.  Of  course,  the  majority 
have  a  greater  power  in  such  an  Assembly  than  tliey 
would  have  in  one  Avhere  their  decisions  are  open  to 
revision  or  reversal;  but,  because  the  vote  of  the 
majority  cannot  be  reviewed  in  this  way,  the  deci- 
sion is  arrived  at  under  a  due  sense  of  responsibility 
and  after  greater  consideration  than  it  might  other- 
wise receive.  Measures  which  it  would  be  rash  to 
approve  or  condemn,  without  careful  deliberation, 
are  generally  postponed  from  one  session  to  another. 
Indeed,  this  experiment  ought  to  be  watched  with 
the  greater  interest  because  it  may  be  fraught  with 
important  issues.  There  is  no  reason  why  such 
a  legislative  body  should  not  prove  equally  ad- 
vantageous elsewhere.  In  such  bodies  as  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  the  Parliament  of  t^o 


230 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


h  i 


■   i 


■ 


I 


United  KingdoTn  and  the  Parliament  of  Canada,  one 
Chamber  is  tlio  practieal  depositary  of  power.  At 
Wasliington,  tlio  Senate  is  the  ruHng  influence ;  at 
Westminster  or  Ottawa,  the  House  of  Commons 
is  the  place  wliich  an  ambitious  man  desires  to 
enter,  and  in  which  a  great  JMinister  can  attain  his 
objects.  France,  not  being  satisfied  with  a  National 
Assembly,  must  needs  create  a  Chamber  of  Deputies 
and  a  Senate,  in  order  that  tho  one  might  balance 
the  other ;  so  that  a  measure  voted  by  the  one 
should  bo  rejected  by  the  other,  and  that  the  public 
should  be  provided  with  unliejikhy  excitement  by 
beholding  a  constant  antagonism  between  the  two 
Chambers,  and  an  occasional  collision  between  them. 
Nothing  of  the  kind  can  iiappen  in  Toronto,  wliile 
the  quality  of  legislation  tlierc  is  not  inferior  to 
that  at  Versailles,  or  even  to  that  in  the  adjoining 
Province  of  Quebec. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  there  are  more  politics 
to  the  square  mile  in  Canada  than  in  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  habitable  globe.  Contending  parties 
struggle  here  with  an  energy  which  causes  the  cool- 
headed  b^'stander  to  marvel  exceedingly.  What 
puzzles  him  is  to  ascertain  and  understand  the  fun- 
damental principles  of  the  opposing  parties.  He 
hears  one  man  denounced  as  a  Conservative  and 
another  as  a  Reformer  or  a  Grit :  should  he  ask  what 
mischief  is  averted  by  the  one  and  what  change  is 
contemplated  by  the  other,  he  asks  in  vain,  unless 
he  be  more  fortunate  than  myself.  1  do  not  refer 
to  purely  local  topics.  An  intelligent  Vestry  or 
Town  Council  can  easily  be  thrown  into  a  fever  by 
the  consideration  of  the  best  Avay  in  whicli  to  pave  a 
street  or  feed  a  pauper.     It  is  fortunate  that  such  a 


THE    PUOVINCE   OF   ONTAUIO. 


231 


topic  as  either  sliould  afTonl  a  vent  to  the  superfluous 
c  lerpi-y  of  my  esteemed  fellow-citi/ens  when  tliey  act 
in  a  pubhc  capacity.  But  the  truly  national  politics 
of  Canaila  are  neither  trivial  nor  restricted  in  scope. 
They  concern  the  welfare  of  a  continent  vaster  than 
l^hu'ope,  and  tlio  well-being  of  a  peo})le  with  every 
a|)titude  for  prof^ress  and  distinction.  IIow  best  to 
(levelope  the  resources  of  that  continent,  and  advance 
the  happiness  of  its  inhabitants,  is  a  problem  that 
men  of  all  shades  of  opinion  should  unite  in  solviuf^; 
it  is  one  which  might  fairly  tax  the  greatest  minds 
of  the  age.  Yet,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  tlio  chief 
object  of  the  politicians  with  whom  I  have  conversed 
seems  to  be  the  exaltation  of  the  Right  Honournblo 
Sir  John  Macdonald  and  the  discomfiture  of  the 
Honourable  George  Brown,  or  the  debasement  of  tlio 
former  and  the  advancement  of  the  latter.  Sir  John 
]\[acdonald  is  the  head  of  the  Conservatives,  and  the 
Honourable  George  Brown,  though  not  the  head  of 
the  Ministry,  is  undoubtedly  the  mainstay  of  tho 
lleformers.  To  tho  persistent  and  able  eftorts  of 
the  latter  a  measure  of  real  reform  is  attributable, 
the  representation  of  the  Provinces  in  pi'oportiou  to 
their  population.  Both  are  entitled  to  praise  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  greatest  step  in  the  annals 
and  progress  of  Canada,  the  formation  of  the  Domi- 
nion. A  bloody  war  with  Great  Britain  was  tho 
prelude  to  a  similar  triumph  in  the  United  States 
section  of  America ;  in  Canada,  the  grand  result  was 
brought  about  l)y  many  excellent  newspaper  articles, 
by  several  convincing  speeches,  and  by  an  Act  of  the 
Imperial  Parliament.  Now  that  Confederation  has 
been  attained,  every  patriotic  Canadian  ought  to  be 
at  once  a   genuine    Conservative   and   a  thorough- 


'  ', 


p  ' 


232 


COLUMIUA    AND   CANADA. 


' 


going  Roformcr,  ought  to  bo  determined  to  conserve 
what  he  enjoys  and  glories  in,  and  reform  whatever 
interferes  with  the  permanence  and  vahie  of  liis  heri- 
tage. Cliief  among  indispensable  reforms  is  the 
removal  of  the  natural  and  surmountable  impedi- 
ments  to  the  development  of  this  huge  territory, 
with  a  view  to  render  the  vast  and  fertile  prairies  of 
the  north-west  easily  accessible  to  the  emigrant,  and 
to  knit  together  with  links  of  steel  the  Provinces 
which  are  traversed  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  washed 
by  the  Atlantic,  with  the  Provinces  which  are  tra- 
versed by  the  Saskatchewan,  and  washed  by  the 
Pacific.  On  such  a  question  as  this  politicians  ought 
to  be  of  one  mind,  and  ought  to  speak  with  an  accor- 
dant  voice.  Yet,  whether  a  Pacific  Railway  shou^ 
be  constructed,  or  how  the  work  should  be  exv, 
cuted,  is  a  question  which  has  caused  the  fall  of  one 
Ministry,  and  has  exposed  its  successor  to  merciless 
criticism  and  cavil. 


m 


ii 

eU'  I! 


On  another  matter,  which  should  not  occasion 
marked  diversity  of  opinion  among  people  so  en- 
lightened as  the  Canadians,  there  is  a  discord  which 
finds  expression  in  the  Press,  on  the  platform,  and 
in  Parliament.  It  is  still  held  to  be  an  open  and 
debatable  question  whether  the  unrestricted  inter- 
change of  commodities  be  a  blessing  or  a  curse, 
whether  Free  Trade  be  an  absolute  benefit  or  an 
utter  delusion.  In  the  United  States  it  has  been  de- 
cided to  make  the  consumers  pay  dearly  for  certain 
articles  of  necessity  or  luxury,  in  order  that  national 
industries  might  be  established  and  subsidized,  and 
that  some  manufacturers  should  become  rich  men. 
Many   Canadians   envy   the   United    States   manu- 


"^m^ 


THE    rROVINf'E   OF   ONTAUIO. 


233 


facturors,  and  tliink  that  they,  too,  would  bo  envied 
in  turn,  if  a  policy  of  Protection  were  adopted  and 
pursued.  Tho  Conservatives  have  staked  their 
hopes  of  returning  to  office  upon  the  advocacy  of 
protection  to  every  product  of  nativu  Industry,  from 
the  flour  with  which  they  bake  their  bread,  to  the 
sewiuf^-machine  with  whicli  they  stitch  their  clothes. 
The  Reformers  used  to  trumpet  forth,  with  com- 
mendable precision  and  unanimity,  the  advantages  of 
a  liberal  tariff  and  unfettered  trade ;  but  their 
trumpet  now  gives  an  uncertain  sound.  Some  of 
them,  think  that  nmch  would  be  gained  owing  to  the 
imposition  of  what  they  stylo  incidental,  Init  what  I 
should  term  differential,  protective  duties,  and  mem- 
bers of  both  parties  have  declared  that  the  farmers 
of  Ontario  would  be  richer  were  a  duty  levied  on 
the  flour  imported  into  Canada  proportioned  to  that 
levied  on  the  flour  exported  to  the  United  States 
from  Canada.  That  some  farmers  in  Canada  would 
be  temporary  gainers  by  this  is  probable ;  but  it  is 
unlikely  that  the  people  at  large  would  be  the  better 
in  the  long-run,  while  it  is  certain  that  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  maritime  Provinces  would  treat  the 
proposed  impost  as  a  distinct  injury  to  them. 

An  article  in  the  Toronto  Glohe^  on  this  question, 
contained  an  extract  from  a  speech  delivered  at 
Washington  by  Mr.  Marshall,  a  representative  from 
the  State  of  Illinois,  supplying  a  noteworthy  picture 
of  the  difficulties  with  which  a  western  farmer  has 
to  contend  in  the  Union.  Some  exceptions  were 
taken  to  a  few  details  by  the  JlfcaV,  the  lively  and  un- 
compromising rival  of  the  Globe,  but  the  relevancy 
of  the  statement,  as  a  whole,  cannot  be  challenged. 
Mr.  Marshall  told  the  House  of  Representatives  that 


III 


ra      <:''rifi!^sn^mmmm 


234 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


I'   ' 

U   I, 


— ''  The  farmer  starting  to  his  work  lias  a  shoo  put 
on  his  horse  with  nails  taxed  at  67  per  cent.,  driven 
by  a  hammer  taxed  at  54  per  cent. ;  cuts  a  stick 
with  a  knife  taxed  50  per  cent. ;  hitches  his  horse  to 
a  plough  taxed  50  per  cent.,  with  chains  taxed  07 
per  cent.  Ho  returns  to  his  home  at  night,  and  lays 
his  wearied  limbs  on  a  sheet  taxed  58  per  cent.,  and 
covers  himself  with  a  blanket  that  has  paid  250  per 
cent.  He  rises  in  the  morning,  puts  on  his  humble 
flannel  shirt,  taxed  80  per  cent. ;  his  coa  t,  taxed  50 
per  cent. ;  shoes  taxed  35  per  cent.,  and  hat  taxed 
70  per  cent. ;  opens  family  worship  with  a  Bible 
taxed  25  per  cent.,  and  kneels  to  his  God  on  a  hum- 
ble carpet  taxed  150  per  cent.  He  sits  down  to  his 
humble  meal  from  a  plate  taxed  40  per  cent.,  with 
knife  and  fork  taxed  S5  per  cc'it. ;  drinks  his  cup  of 
coffjo  taxed 47  per  cent.,  or  tea  78  per  cent.;  seasons 
his  food  with  salt  taxed  100  per  cent. ;  pepper,  297 
per  cent. ;  or  spicCj  379  per  cent.  He  looks  around 
upon  his  wife  and  children  all  taxed  in  the  same  way, 
takes  a  chew  of  tobacco  taxed  at  100  per  cent.,  or 
lights  a  cigar  taxed  120  per  cent.,  and  then  thanks 
his  stars  that  he  lives  in  the  freest  and  best  Govern- 
ment under  heaven."  Can  any  Canadian  farmer, 
after  reading  this,  really  envy  the  privileges  of  his 
brother  in  the  United  States  ?  The  former  would 
soon  be  in  the  position  of  the  latter,  if  the  system  of 
ixuposing  protective  duties  on  his  produce  were  once 
begun.  The  United  States  would  not  bo  easily 
checkmated.  In  playing  tliis  game  of  brag,  or 
rather  of  beggar  my  roighbour,  the  older  Govern- 
ment would  prove  more  than  a  match  for  the 
younger. 

The  one  which  was  prep^u'ed  to  nuike  the  greater 


^^!f^ 


THE    PROVINCE    OF    ONTARIO. 


235 


sacrifice  would  gain  the  day,  and  though  victory 
would  be  defeat  in  disguise,  yet  this  would  matter  little 
to  those  persons  who  held  that  tliey  had  achieved  a 
nominal  triumph.  In  the  end,  the  Canadian  farmer 
would  be  poorer  than  at  the  outset,  because  he  would 
have  to  give  proportionately  more  for  what  he  bought 
than  ho  had  obtained  for  what  he  sold.  But  such 
predictions  have  no  terror  for  men  who  believe 
in  Protection  as  the  panacea  for  all  the  ills  of 
industry.  Tell  them  that  it  is  a  quack  medicine, 
and  they  will  reply,  as  is  done  b^^  many  people, 
whom  their  '^haritable  neii>'libours  ffive  credit  for 
the  possession  of  common  sense,  when  they  hear  a 
quack  medicine  scoffed  at,  *'  That  may  be  perfectly 
true,  but  after  all  there  must  be  sometliing  in  it,  for 
it  has  effected  many  cures."  They  will  cite  the 
case  of  the  Mot  tier  country  as  a  conclusive  answer 
to  abstract  reasoning,  and  say  that  Protection 
enriched  her,  and  prepared  the  way  for  that  system 
of  Free-trade  T>diich  is  euriching  her  more  than  ever. 
Both  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  I  have  heard 
this  repeated  as  if  it  wtn^e  conclusive,  and  barred  all 
further  argument.  Thus  it  is  that  one  blunder 
engenders  another,  and  tliafc  the  evil  which  States 
have  done  is  pregnant  with  mischief  after  they  have 
learned  to  do  well.  Nothinsi;  can  be  more  certain 
than  that  Protection  was  an  incubus  which  depres,  cd 
tlie  energies  of  Great  Britain  for  many  a  year,  and 
that,  had  she  shaken  off  the  monster  at  an  earlier 
day,  she  would  have  been  still  wealthier  and  more 
powe'  ful  now.  It  is  erroneously  supposed  that  the 
continuance  of  a  protective  system  elsewhere  is  a 
serious  loss  to  her,  and  the  belief  is  coiiimon  in  the 
United  States  section  of  America,  aud  is  also  enter- 


C    ■•    '■.y* 


I!:.-    I 


li;  ;  ■' 


236 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


iU) 


I 


t.  Il    fi 


tained  by  a  good  mar  y  persons  in  the  Canadian  one, 
that  a  selfish  desire  to  promote  the  enrichment  of 
Great  Britain  inspires  all  those  of  her  sons  who 
advocate  the  unrestricted  interchange  of  produce  and 
manufactures.  When  a  suspicion  of  this  kind  is 
once  entertained,  it  cannot  be  removed  by  argument. 
The  case  is  analogous  to  that  of  the  father  who  warns 
his  son  against  indulging  in  excesses  which  may 
shorten  his  life,  which  will  certainly  embitter  it,  or 
Avill  cause  him  to  feel  regret,  when  too  late,  that  he 
had  not  been  more  prudent  in  his  youth.  The  son 
fancies  that  this  is  either  an  exaggeration,  or  else 
that  his  father  is  too  selfish  to  allow  him  to  enjoy 
himself.  He  sees,  moreover,  that  his  father  has 
lived  to  a  good  old  age,  is  highly  respected,  is  very 
rich,  and  seems  none  the  worse  for  any  indiscretions 
committed  in  early  life.  He  may  even  persuade  him- 
self that  indulgence  in  youthful  follies  has  been  of 
some  advantage  to  his  father.  He  determines,  then, 
to  follow  the  bent  of  his  inclination  as  a  prelude  to 
living  soberly  and  reputably  when  his  wild  oats  have 
been  harvested.  It  is  obvious  that,  if  the  son  could 
begin  the  world  with  the  father's  experience,  or  if  he 
would  really  profit  by  the  axlvice  which  is  alike  ^)er- 
fectly  sound  and  perfectly  disinterested,  he  might  bo 
spared  many  disappointments,  and  become  a  useful 
member  of  society.  What  is  true  of  individuals  is 
equally  true  of  nations ;  nations,  however,  resent 
good  advice  even  more  angrily  than  individuals,  for 
they  fancy  that  it  must  be  designed  to  lower  their 
status  in  the  world,  and  lessen  their  powxT  of  out- 
stripping competitors. 

Indeed,  the  main  reason  why  new  countries  and 
colonies  are  attached  to  the  rrotective  system  is  that 


THE    riiOVINCE   OF    ONTARIO. 


237 


tliey  regard  it  as  an  indispensable  condition  for 
enabling  them  to  command  respect.  When  it  is  said  in 
tlie  United  States,  "  Let  us  protect  native  industry," 
the  meaning  is,  let  us  uphold  our  nationality,  make 
ourselves  self-sufficing,  and  strive  to  render  the  na- 
tions of  Europe  dependent  upon  us.  A  policy  of  ex- 
clusion was  carried  out  with  a  vigour  in  Japan  which 
can  never  be  surpassed  elsewhere ;  since  the  Japanese 
have  reversed  it,  they  have  lost  nothing  either  in 
power  or  in  the  world's  esteem.  In  Canada,  the  cry 
of  Protection  for  native  industry  means  "  Let  ns  build 
up  a  nationality  and  become  something  different  from 
our  neighbours  across  the  frontier  and  our  brethren 
across  the  ocean."  Here  is  a  problem  which  is  not 
to  bo  solved  by  reasoning.  A  Free  Trader,  in  the 
fullest  and  truest  sense,  desires  the  happiness  of  tho 
greatest  number ;  his  sympathies  are  co-extensive 
with  mankhid.  A  Protectionist  is  satisfied  if  he  can 
promote  the  material  well-being  of  those  amo'ig 
whom  he  was  born ;  his  sympathies  are  bounded  l;v 
his  country.  Until  the  sentiment  of  the  brotherhood 
of  mankind  shall  prevail  among  a  given  people,  and 
the  ideal  at  wliich  they  aim  be  the  general  good  of 
the  world,  it  is  hopeless  to  expect  that  they  will 
exchange  Protection  for  Free  Trade,  provided  they 
believe  that  any  personal  and  local  gain  is  obtainable 
by  discouraging  the  industry  of  all  the  rest  of  tlie 
human  race.  The  sum  of  many  conversations  on 
this  subject  both  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  is 
that  Great  Britain  incurs  as  much  censure  and  ex- 
cites as  much  envy  for  preaching  Free  Trade  now  as 
she  did  for  practising  Protection  a  century  ago,  and 
the  circumstance  that  she  adds  example  to  precept 
is  considered  an  aggravation  of  her  present  offence. 


Mil 


\i 


?r'j  ■  '  'mm 


me^ 


■l'      1       ;,;«!, 


II 


*■:*! 


M 


'  jr 


' 


238 


COLUMBIA   AND    CANADA. 


Sufficient  jittentiou  has  not  been  given  to  a  desire 
wliicli  lias  been  expressed  for  tlie  formal  recognition 
of  Canadian  nationality.  Mucli  lias  been  written 
about  Canadian  loyalty,  wliicli  is  certainly  very 
exuberant  and  thoroughly  sincere.  I  believe  that  if 
the  Queen  were  to  visit  Canada,  the  popular  demon- 
stration there  would  be  astounding  in  its  fervour. 
Yet  to  confound  this  loyalty,  with  blind  admiration 
for  the  Motherland,  is  to  commit  a  great  and 
common  mistake.  Everytliing  done  i-i  the  parent 
State  is  followed  in  Canada  with  an  interest 
which  is  neither  felt  nor  professed  in  the  United 
States ;  but,  let  any  attempt  be  made  to  affect 
Canada  in  a  way  deemed  unfair  and  prejudicial, 
and  there  will  be  no  hesitation  about  objecting  with 
remarkable  emphasis.  In  truth,  the  loyalty  of 
Canadians  closely  resembh^s  that  of  those  among 
their  forefathers  who  suffered  for  being  United 
Empire  Loyalists.  They  are  justly  proud  of  the 
political  system  of  which  they  form  a  part.  In  their 
eyes,  that  system  is  identified  with  stable  government 
and  general  prosperity ;  it  guarantees  to  them  an 
amount  of  personal  freedom,  combined  with  personal 
security,  such  as  no  other  system  can  give  in  greater 
measure.  Their  loyalty  is  intensified  by  the  convic- 
tion that  their  own  wishes,  duly  expressed,  are  the 
only  limits  to  any  demands  they  might  prefer  to 
the  parent  State  for  a  change  in  their  relation  to  it. 

Many  of  the  younger  men  are  more  anxious  than 
their  seniors  to  take  a  step  which,  without  rendering 
Canada  wholly  independent,  would  lead  to  hei*  being 
regarded  as  a  nation.  They  have  a  notion  that 
their  happiness  would  be  increased  were  the  land 
they  live  in  represented  at  foreign  Courts.     Among 


.(.*'■ 


'cr  to 
to  it. 
than 
hn-ing 

that 
'  hmd 


LTnOTlg 


THE    ri?OVIx\CE    OP    ONTATUO. 


239 


the  efforts  they  have  made  to  make  "  Canada  First" 
at  once  a  cry  and  a  pohcy,  the  fonndatiou  of  a 
weekly  journal  called  the  Nation  had  a  place,  which 
was  shared  by  an  excellent  periodical,  the  Canadian 
Monthh/.  The  magaziiic  has  lived  for  several  years, 
and  Avill,  I  hope,  survive  many  more  ;  but  the  journal 
succumbed,  after  a  brilliant  career  of  about  three 
years.  A  thesis  which  both  have  upheld  with  great 
power  of  argument  and  variety  of  illustration  is  that, 
in  the  present  condition  of  the  Dominion,  the  ordi- 
nary party  divisions  are  unmeaning  and  the  prevail- 
ing aims  are  illogical ;  that,  since  Confederation 
was  effected,  the  former  party  objects  have  ceased 
to  have  any  weight ;  that  statesmen  ought  now  to 
strive,  not  for  tV  e  mere  possession  of  office,  but  for 
the  advancement  of  the  country  as  a  whole,  and  for 
its  consolidation  as  a  political  unit.  In  other  words, 
the  purpose  is  to  promote  a  feeling  of  nationality  at 
the  expense  of  provincialism,  to  make  men  who  are 
of  French  descent,  and  who  speak  the  language  of 
France,  or  wdio  are  the  descendants  of  parents  of 
English,  Irish,  or  Scottish  birth,  think  less  of  the 
land  and  nation  from  which  their  fathers  came  than 
of  the  country  in  wliicli  their  fathers  have  found  a 
happy  home,  and  where  they  have  seen  the  light  of 
day,  Canada  being  the  chief  object  of  their  love,  and 
her  interests  having  the  first  place  in  their  endea- 
vours. The  design  is  not  unworthy  of  r>ncourage- 
mcnt  and  countenance  from  all  well-wishers  of  this 
magnificent  division  of  America,  even  thougli  the 
ultunate  object  of  tliose  persons  who  urge  its  adop- 
tion might  be  open  to  criticism.  The  leading  jour- 
nal of  Canada  has  energetically  combated  the 
notions  of  men  who  assuredly  merit  a  considerate 


llili 


'M 


m  ■ :  'vvrT^ 


■■P«P 


«P 


m 


240 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


m\ 


'i     I 


'h> 


\  ■  ■  i 


and  attentive  hearing.  My  own  desire  is  that  the 
two  systems  of  government  in  North  America 
should  produce  their  best  results.  They  differ  in 
form  rather  than  in  substance ;  yet,  as  the  world  is 
influenced  by  forms  nearly  as  much  as  by  abstract 
propositions,  the  d  fference  is  not  unimportant. 
Some  citizens  of  the  United  States  were  almost 
struck  dumb  with  amazement  when  the  Earl  of 
Dufferin,  the  deservedly  popular  Governor-General 
of  Canada,  told  them  at  Chicago  that  the  Canadians 
were  essentially  a  Democratic  people.  They  had 
thought  that  no  one  living  under  what  they  stylo 
Monarchical  institutions,  or  rather  none  who  do  not 
yield  allegiance  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  can  be  actually  free  to  exercise  the  maximum 
of  self-government.  They  little  know  how  slightly 
the  Monarchical  system  of  Great  Britain  corresponds 
with  monarchy  in  its  worst  and  most  common  mani- 
festation, and  how  little  real  difference  there  is 
between  the  Government  of  which  they  are  proud 
and  that  which  constitutes  the  essence  of  the  British 
monarchy.  They  talk  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
people  as  the  corner-stone  of  their  institutions,  and 
they  seem  unaware  that  the  sovereignty  of  the  peo- 
ple has  been  the  ruling  maxim  and  guiding  star  of 
leading  British  statesmen  from  the  earliest  days  down 
to  those  in  which  we  live.  Not  even  in  the  United 
States  do  the  people  play  the  part  of  sovereigns 
more  thoroughly  than  in  the  United  Kingdom.  It 
is  true  that  the  popular  election  of  the  head  of  the 
State  is  not  observed  in  the  same  manner  now  as  in 
the  early  days  of  English  history,  and  that  the  elec- 
tion of  a  dynasty  by  Act  of  Parliament  has  super- 
seded the  custom  of  ancient  times.     It  is  true,  also, 


mf 


m.  It 
of  tlie 

\v  as  in 

le  elec- 
super- 

c,  also, 


THK    PKOVIXCE    OF    ONTAnTO. 


241 


tliiit  the  Bi'itisli  Constitution  as  it  now  exists,  or 
rather  as  it  is  now  interpretecl,  is  very  diffoivnt  from 
what  it  was  supposed  to  be  when  a  Henry  or  a 
Charles,  a  James  or  a  George  invoked  its  sanction 
in  order  to   enforce  his  own    desio-ns    a"*ainst    the 

o  o 

wishes  of  the  people.  What  has  survived  and  tri- 
umphed is  the  princi])le  which  is  its  essence  and  tho 
maxim  which  it  inculcates,  the  principle  that  free- 
dom IS  the  birthright  of  tho  people,  the  maxin?  that 
self-government  is  their  duty.  All  that  is  best  in 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  forms  a  part 
of  the  Constitution  of  Great  Britain. 

The  Canadians  are  conscious  of  these  things,  and 
they  know  that  they  have  good  reason  to  admire 
and  glory  in  the  form  of  government  under  which 
they  enjoy  freedom.  They  know  also,  that  if  all  the 
colonists  of  America  had  been  dcdt  with  accordino- 
to  the  true  theory  of  the  British  Constitution,  Patrick 
Henry  and  Samuel  Adams  might  have  declaimed  in 
vain,  and  the  contest  for  the  independence  of  tlio 
United  States  would  never  have  .been  provoked. 
Yet  I  fear  that  some  young  Canadians  are  incliued 
to  indulo^e  in  ideas  which  have  the  drawback  of  benior 
opposed  alike  to  sound  reason  and  the  spirit  of  tlie 
age.  If  their  desires  were  fulfilled,  they  would  take 
a  step  backward  in  the  science  of  government.  What 
would  they  gain  by  having  a  Minister  at  Washing- 
ton and  at  each  of  the  capitals  of  Europe  ?  This 
miglit  give  them  the  dignity  of  a  nation,  and  it 
would  also  increase  their  taxes.  In  these  days  of 
intercommunication  by  steam  and  telegraph,  IMinis- 
ters  Plenipotentiary  and  Ambassadors  are  ana- 
chronisms, and  all  nations  would  save  much  and 
lose  nothing  by  abolishing  legations  and  embassies. 


242 


f'OLUMT.IA    AND   ('ANAPA. 


fV  I: 


i,.  „ 


A  Consul  can  do  whatever  is  requisite ;  a  Minister  or 
Ambassador  is  but  a  costly  ornament,  and  a  now 
country  ought  to  have  the  shrewdness  to  prefer 
what  is  useful  to  that  which  is  purely  ornamental. 
Tliis  may  be  accounted  a  matter  of  detail.  Let  it  be 
granted  that  the  new  nation  would  dispense  with 
representatives  at  foreign  Courts.  What  else  would 
it  gain?  A  flag?  The  Canadians  have  got  one.  A 
distinctive  name  ?  They  enjoy  that  also.  A  Gover- 
nor or  President  elected  by  themselves  ?  It  would 
not  be  impossible  to  obtain  that  without  battling  for 
independence.  An  army  ?  They  have  got  as  well- 
organized  a  defensive  force  as  Switzerland,  and  a 
military  academy  for  the  training  of  officers  on  as 
good  a  model  as  that  at  Sandhurst.  A  fleet  ?  Their 
mercantile  marine  is  now  larger  than  that  of  many 
European  Powers,  and  Great  Britain  maintains  a 
navy  for  their  defence;  if  they  were  independent, 
they  would  certainly  have  the  privilege  of  paying 
for  their  own  men-of-war.  Protection  for  native 
industry  ?  They  are  free  to  protect  native  industry 
to  their  heart's  content,  to  copy  the  economical 
blunders  of  the  Mother  country  when  she  was  young 
and  ignorant  of  the  true  principles  of  commerce, 
when  her  ambition  was  in  excess  of  her  wisdom  and 
when  she  would  not  believe  what  Sir  Dudley  North 
enunciated  as  far  back  as  1691,  that  "the  whole 
world  as  to  trade  is  but  as  one  nation." 

Though  I  think  that  the  natural  aspirations  of  the 
young  and  patriotic  Canadians  have  taken  a  wrong 
turn,  yet  I  hold  that  they  have  a  solid  foundation. 
They  spring  from  the  conviction  that  the  day  must 
come,  if  it  have  not  already  arrived,  when  their 
native  land  should  hold  a  higher  rank  than  that  of 


n 


m 


l-r,;. 


■■■■i 


P"^"!- 


THE   rilOVJNCE   OF   ONTARIO. 


243 


a  British  colony.  Indeed,  to  regard  the  Dominion, 
with  its  ParHament  and  separate  government,  as 
a  mere  Colony  is  to  do  violence  to  facts.  To  define 
exactly  what  it  is,  and  to  characterize  its  position  in 
a  phrase,  constitute  a  difficulty  not  easily  sur- 
mounted. Unfortunately,  also,  the  world  at  largo 
has  a  vague  and  absurd  notion  of  the  country  and 
its  capabilities.  The  Province  of  Quebec  has  repre- 
sented Canada  for  upwards  of  two  centuries  ;  that 
Province  does  not  possess  a  very  rich  soil  nor  a  mild 
climate,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  what  is 
true  of  it  applies  to  the  whole  Dominion.  When 
the  French  army,  under  the  chivalrous  and  heroic 
Montcalm,  made  a  determined  stand  in  this  Pro- 
vince against  the  attempt  to  deprive  France  of  her 
grand  domain  in  the  New  World,  all  that  Voltaii'i>, 
the  best-informed  man  of  his  day,  thought  fit  to 
remark  was  that  he  could  not  understand  why 
people  should  try  to  cut  each  other's  throats  in 
order  to  become  the  proprietors  of  a  few  acres  of 
ice.  Since  the  time  of  Voltaire  there  has  not  been 
much  progress  in  knowledge  of  the  condition  and 
resources  of  the  land  which  he  ignorantly  depre- 
ciated. The  Province  of  Ontario,  formerly  known 
as  Upper  Canada,  was  once  covered  with  wood ;  tho 
early  settlers  had  to  clear  the  ground  of  trees  before 
they  could  plough  their  fields  and  sow  their  seed. 
Life  there  came  to  be  regarded  as  life  in  the  busli, 
an  existence  of  much  hardship  and  yielding  a  scanty 
recompense.  At  present,  the  drawback  is  that 
there  are  too  few  trees ;  the  preservation  of  the 
forests  being  now  as  important  a  problem  as  that 
which  vexed  the  first  settlers  when  wood  was  super- 
abundant.    Yet  many  educated  persons  in  Europe 

li  2 


It    ' ; ' 


m 


211. 


rOT.UMlUA     AXP    ('ANAPA. 


n  ', 


do  not  doubt  for  a  TnomoTit  that  Caiinda  is  ii  laud 
roscmbling,  in  its  main  features,  the  Sea  of  Ancient 
Ice  at  tlio  North  Polo  and  tlic  Black  Forest  as 
described  bj  Cjesar.  Of  the  Prairie  Province  of 
INlanitoba,  where  the  entire  po})ulation  of  Great 
Britain  might  easily  find  a  pleasant  home,  and  of 
the  Province  of  British  Columbia,  a  large  part  of 
which  is  as  rich  in  mineral  treasures  and  enjo3's  as 
balmy  a  climate  as  the  State  of  California,  hardly 
anything  is  known  in  Europe.  Yet  these  Provinces, 
including  the  not  less  important  Maritime  Provinces, 
make  up  the  Dominion,  which  in  area  is  equal  to 
the  United  States,  and  in  variety  of  soil,  tem- 
perature, natural  productions,  and  resources  is  on  a 
par  with  them.  The  prospects  of  such  a  country 
ought  to  be  more  correctly  estimated.  It  is 
natural  for  its  inhabitants  to  think  that  they  are 
something  more  than  a  colony,  if  something  less 
than  a  nation. 

I  see  no  reason  why  the  existing  relation  between 
Canada  and  the  Motherland  shoidd  be  materially 
altered,  A  future  change  ought  to  tighten  the  bond 
of  union  rather  than  relax  or  sever  it.  The  un- 
doubted tendency  of  the  age  is  to  bring  into  closer 
association  the  people  who  have  sprung  from  the 
same  race.  To  this  is  attributable  a  united  Italy 
and  a  united  Germany,  and  the  gist  of  the  Eastern 
Question  is  the  desire  of  the  Slavonic  race  to  be- 
come partners  in  government  and  a  unit  in  natio- 
nality. "Why  should  the  destiny  or  determination  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  race  be  otherwise  ?  If  brethren 
ought  to  dwell  together  in  unity,  surely  the  members 
of  this  race  are  well  able  to  set  a  good  example 
to  the  human  family  !     Tho  exact  place  which  the 


'ri[E  riiovixcK  of  ontauio. 


245 


CoTifedoratiou  of  Canada  ami  tlio  future  fcnlerations 
of  Australasia  aud   South  Africa  should  till   in  tlio 
British    Empire   is   a    subject   for    discussion    and 
nrranp^enient,  yet  it  is  one  which  all  true  patriots, 
alike  in  the  parent  State  and  her  Colonies,  ought  to 
be   prepared    to   treat  Avith    a  view  to  harmonious 
decision.     Meantime,  there  is  much  to  bo  done  as 
regards    Canada    which    has    been    overlooked    or 
neglected.     The  leading  men  of  the  Dominion  hap- 
])ily  place  full  value  upon  Imperial  recognition  of  their 
titles  to  a])probation  ;  but  their  claims  to  such  dis- 
tinction seldom  receive  due  attention.     A  few  years 
back  it  was  pompously  announced  that  the  scope  of 
the  Order  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  Geoi'ge  had  been 
enlarged  so  as  to  permit  distinguished  colonists  to 
])econie  members   of  it.     They  naturally  look  with 
disfavour  upon    hereditary   honours.       Indeed  this 
feeling  is  gaining  ground  in  England,  and  the  day 
may  not  be  distant  when  all  titular  distinctions  thei-e 
shall  be  the  rewards  of  personal  merit  and  enjoyed 
by  those   only  who  have  duly  earned  them.      Lord 
Dufferin  was  recently  raised  to  the  highest  rank  in  the 
Order  of  St.  ]\Iichael  and  St.  George,  because  he  had 
provedhimself  to  be  a  most  efficient  Governor-General 
of  Canada  :  but  not  a  sino-le  native-born  Canadian  has 
yet  been  made  a  Knight  Co]iiniander  of  the  Order. 
As  the  omission  is  not  attributable  to  any  lack  of 
deserving  candidates,  it  nuist  be  ascribed  to  simple 
indifference  or  sheer  neglect.      This    may   seem    a 
trivial    matter,   as    trivial    as    the    privilege    in   the 
French  llepublic  of  certain  men  to  wear  a  scrap  of 
red    ribbon    in    their    button-holes ;     but,    if    the 
Canadians  were  properly  considered  in  the  distri- 
bution   of    well-earned     titular    distinctions,    they 


4 

■..-.li» 

210 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


( 


:i 

, 

. 

f 

1      :  -I,! 

'                         i      V             i      ' 

would  f('(jl  for  the  liaTul  wliicli  conforred  tlicm  (|uito 
as  much  eutliusiiism  as  Frenchmen  feel  for  tlio 
autliority  wliieli  makes  them  members  of  tlie  Legion 
of  Honour.  Again,  there  are  many  cases  in  which 
Canadian  statesmen  might  bo  fitly  entrusted  with 
the  discharge  of  Impei'ial  functions;  every  such 
appointment  would  make  their  fellow-citizens  under- 
stand that  they  formed  pari  of  the  same  Imperial 
organization.  But  it  does  not  enter  into  the  calcu- 
lations of  the  Homo  Government  to  make  any 
appointment  of  the  kind. 

I  have  said  enough  to  express  my  own  impression 
of  the  light  in  which  Canadians  view  the  land  to 
which  they  are  attached,  and  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  ought  to  be  regarded  and  treated  in 
turn.  Many  points  of  detail  I  have  passed  over. 
One  of  these,  which  I  shall  merely  cite  by  way  of 
example,  is  tlie  absurdity  of  such  a  grand  portion  of 
the  British  Em])ire  being  denied  the  riglit  to  accord 
naturalization  to  any  foreigner  who  desires  to  cast 
in  his  lot  with  that  Empire.  A  foreigner  can  be 
naturalized  hi  Canada,  but  he  cannot  claim  the 
privileges  of  a  British  subject  when  he  leaves 
Canadian  territory.  This  matter,  among  others, 
ought  to  be  the  subject  of  appropriate  legislation, 
and  the  Britisli  statesman  who  deals  with  such 
topics  in  a  right  spirit  will  deserve  the  congratu- 
lations and  gratitude  of  his  countrymen. 


,  1     ! 


^iPF^ 


217 


XV. 


TUAVKLLKRS  AND   P.ANKKKS    IN    NORTH  AMERICA. 

HwiTisH  «rol(l  is  a  commodity  wliich,  according  to 
lloraco  (jiroolcy  and  otlier  United  States  journalists, 
lias  wroiiglit  much  mischief  in  their  country.  My 
experience  is  that  /ew  things  are  more  useless  there. 
Several  tijnes  I  have  suffered  all  the  privations  of 
])overty  because,  my  su])|)lyof  the  national  currency 
being  exhausted,  1  had  nothing  left  in  my  ])urso  but 
JOnglish  sovereig!is.  In  France,  Italy,  (lermany,  or 
any  other  European  country,  the  traveller  who 
possesses  these  coins  can  always  get  what  he  wants 
in  a  shop  or  a  hotel.  JJut  in  the  United  States  they 
are  objects  of  suspicion.  Once  a  good  Samaritan 
let  me  have  what  I  wanted  in  exchange  for  one,  and 
oidy  charged  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  for  his 
kindness.  He  was  a  coloured  gentleman.  His 
civility  was  overpowering,  and  hnd  its  reward.  I  do 
not  blame  the  citizen  of  the  United  States  for  de- 
clining to  cash  the  gold  coin  of  England.  If  one  of 
them  were  to  tender  a  gold  eagle  to  an  English 
shopkeeper,  he  might  find  that  it  was  not  valued  at 
its  proper  rate. 

What  surprised  me  most  of  all  was  to  learn  that 
in  Canada  the  gold  and  silver  coins  of  Great  Britain 
are  not  readily  negotiable.     The  Canadian  prefers 


T'l'^'^^HHHl 


»fH 


2-I8 


COLU.AIBiA   AXD    CANADA. 


El  ! 


i 

1 

f 

jt 

% 

It 

;; 

i 

1' 

;' 

r 

1, 

^ 

li 


liis  dollars,  whctlicr  in  silver  or  bank  notes,  to  tlio 
S])ecio  of  the  ]\lotlierland.  In  Australia  or  Soutli 
Africa,  the  English  traveller  never  learns  from  the 
cnri'ency  that  he  is  not  at  home.  In  the  great 
dependency  of  India,  he  finds  an  unaccustort.cd 
mode  of  reckoning  in  vogue,  and  he  sees  coins  which 
are  new  to  him.  In  the  small  possession  of  Heligo- 
land he  may  be  startled,  as  I  once  was,  at  being 
asked  to  nay  thirteen  shillings  for  the  performance 
of  a  trifling  service,  though,  when  he  learns  that  the 
"  scliilling"  is  a  Hanihiirg  coin  which  is  less  in  value 
than  a  penny,  he  will  pay  tlie  debt  with  entire 
equanimity.  I  Avas  struck  with  the  remarks  of  some 
fellow-passengers  by  tlie  Pacific  Railway  when  they 
learned,  upon  entering  the  States  of  iS'evada  and 
California,  that  gold  and  silver  coins  were  alone 
carrent,  and  tliat  greenbacks  were  treated  as  foreign 
money.  They  felt  that  this  circiimstance  tended  to 
disprove  the  unity  of  their  country.  With  not  dis- 
similar feelings,  tlie  Eno-lisli  visitor  to  tlie  Dominion 
of  Canada  learns  that  the  money  which  is  a  legal 
tendei-  in  the  United  Kingdom  differs  from  that 
generally  current  there,  and  that  he  has  to  reckon  ii, 
dollars  and  cents  instead  of  pounds,  shillings,  and 
pence.  I'he  title  of  Mr.  Warren's  novel,  "  Ten  lliou- 
sanda- Year,"  must  be  altered  to  "  Fifty  Thousand  a- 
^'ea^,"  in  order  to  produce  on  the  mind  of  a  Canadian 
tlie  eiTect  produced  upon  that  of  aji  Englisluuan. 

i\lost  persons  who  li-aAel  in  America  provide  them- 
selves, before  starting,  with  a  letter  of  credit.  A 
draw  back  to  this  consists  in  the  necessity  of  deter- 
mining n]ioii  iiic  places  which  are  to  '">^  visited,  so 
thai  the  signatui'o  of  the  holdti'  maybe  (brwai'ded 
to  the '.'orre-spoiidents  ol' the  bank  wliich  issues  the 


'*^^ 


TUAVEMERS    AND   EANKEUS. 


249 


letter.  AnotLer  drawback  is  that  a  coiiimission  is 
ciiarged  upon  tlio  amount  drawn  by  the  bolder. 
Those  persons  who  take  circtdai-jiotes  avoid  both  of 
these  inconveniences.  I  once  cashed  circular  notes 
in  New  York  to  the  same  amount  as  the  sum  which 
a  fi'iend  had  drawn  against  his  letter  of  credit ;  ho 
had  to  pay  three  dollars  by  way  of  commission, 
Avhereas  I  could  not  be  called  upon  to  pay  anything-. 
Indeed,  the  ulilitv  of  these  circular  notes  is  too  well 
known  to  need  confirn'ation  Vet  even  they  might 
be  rendered  still  more  serviceable.  Those  whicii  I 
carry  are  issued  by  the  London  and  AVestmmster 
Bank.  There  is  h;!rdly  a  place  of  importance  in 
Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  iSorth  America,  South  America, 
the  East  Indies,  the  \\'e;;t  Indies,  and  Australasia, 
which  is  not  named  in  the  letter  of  advice  supplied 
along  with  them.  The  only  important  omission  i^  the 
city  of  Boston ;  why  this  gi-eat  bank  sliould  not  iiave  a 
correspondent  there  is  a  puzzle  with  which.  I  should 
have  pr(  ferred  not  to  be  troubled.  Tliese  notes  and 
the  letter  of  advice  are  printed  in  the  French  tongue. 
This  may  have  been  necessary  several  years  ago,  but 
has  now  become  an  absurdity.  Not  a  banker  on  the 
Continent  of  Europe  is  unable  to  decipher  the 
English  words  on  a  note  of  the  Bank  of  England,  of 
Ireland,  of  mvj  Scottish  bank,  or  on  a  United  States 
or  Canadian  greenback,  while  there  are  not  a  few 
bank  managers  and  clerks  hi  the  United  States  and 
Canada  to  whom  the  IVench  language  is  as  unin- 
telligible as  Sanskrit.  At  Chicago,  I  was  once 
politely  asked  to  translate  the  contents  of  the  note 
and  letter  of  advice,  the  clerk  informing  me  that  he 
was  slightly  in  doul)t  as  to  the  import  of  cc  tain 
words,  and  t!i;ir   his  fell'jw-clerk-'  had  not   b;.'(:u  able 


1  i  i  ^'  i ;  ii 

1 

\h 


m 

I  'I  ^ 
i  '' 

SI',  li 


H 


mrm 


250 


COLUMDIA    AND    CANADA. 


I      I 


m 


to  clear  up  the  mystery.  On  other  occasions,  I  have 
been  satisfied  that  those  persons  who  professed  to  be 
able  to  read  the  foreign  words  had  an  opinion  of 
their  import  the  reverse  of  my  own. 

No  one  who  has  used  one  of  these  notes  needs  to 
be  toid  that  they  have  to  be  endorsed  by  the  person 
in  whose  name  they  are  drawn,  and  that  the  signa- 
ture must  correspond  with  that  written  in  the  letter 
of  advice.  At  Toronto,  I  had  the  novel  experience 
of  being  suspected  by  a  bank  clerk  of  having  com- 
mitted a  new,  or  rather  an  impossible  kind  of 
forgery,  thnt  of  forging  my  own  name.  After  care- 
ful consideration,  a  long  conference  with  the 
manager,  and  frequent  surveys  of  my  person,  the 
clerk  told  me  that  the  signatures  did  not  tally.  The 
one  had  been  written  with  a  very  line-pointed  pen, 
the  other  with  a  broad-pointed  one,  and  this  con- 
stituted a  difference  which  was  held  to  bo  serious. 
Being  asked  whether  I  had  any  more  notes  than  the 
single  one  which  I  desired  to  have  cashed,  I  was 
pleased  to  be  able  to  state  and  prove  that  I  possessed 
several.  At  length,  it  was  decidec^  that  I  might  be 
the  legal  owner  of  these  notes,  and  might  have  a 
right  to  demand  cash  in  exchange  for  them,  and, 
when  I  called  again  on  a  like  errand,  it  was  not 
hinted  to  me  that  I  must  be  somebody  else.  While 
ke[)t  waiting,  I  had  ample  opportunities  for  seeing 
how  business  was  done  in  this  bank,  a  branch  of  the 
Bank  of  British  North  America.  I  l(>arned  that  no 
one  could  get  a  cheque  cashed  without  being  "  identi- 
fied." A  respectable-looking  man,  who  brought  a 
che(pie  for  a  few  dollars,  was  subjected  to  a  process 
of  examination  and  cross-examination  reseTubling 
that  which  goes  on  when  an  important  but  doubtful 


til 
it 


TRAVELLERS    AND    RANKERS. 


251 


witness  is  giving  evidence  in  a  court  of  justice.  He 
stated  where  he  lived  and  mentioned  persons  whom 
he  knew,  but  was  unable  to  give  any  other  than  a 
negative  answer  to  the  reiterated  question,  "  But  is 
there  no  one  to  identify  you  ? "  Fortunately  some 
one  entered  Avho  was  personally  known  to  the  clerks 
and  the  man  whom  they  were  treating  as  a  rogue, 
and  then  the  few  dollars  were  handed  over  to  him. 
AYhen  the  money  was  presented,  it  was  done  with 
the  air  of  the  magistrate  who,  being  in  a  lenient 
mood,  tells  the  accused  to  go  free,  but  not  to  offend 
again.  If  every  banker  had  refused  to  cash  my 
circular  notes  I  should  have  been  little  the  worse. 
The  only  unpleasant  consequence  would  have  been 
the  necessity  of  making  an  application  to  personal 
friends  or  acquaintances,  who,  I  am  sure,  would  be 
more  eager  to  comply  with  my  request  than  I  should 
be  in  preferring  it.  Other  persons  might  be  less 
fortunate,  and  in  their  behalf  I  should  be  glad  if 
bankers  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  did  not 
think  it  their  duty  to  treat  every  stranger  as  a 
swindler.  If  bankers  in  the  United  Kingdom  were 
to  insist  upon  the  "  identification  "  of  every  person 
who  presents  a  cheque  for  payment,  the  business  of 
banking  would  be  less  profitable  than  it  is,  because 
the  time  which  ought  to  be  occupied  in  transacting 
it  would  be  wasted  by  the  clerks  in  discharging  the 
unremunerative  duties  of  amateur  detectives.  I  fear 
that  the  formalities  which  are  enforced  in  the  United 
States  and  Canadian  banks,  reminding  me  of  what 
prevails  in  the  petty  bank  of  a  third-rate  German 
town,  are  symptomatic  of  actual  business  being  far 
from  brisk,  and  of  time  not  being  on  a  par  with 
money. 


^mmm 


252 


XVI. 


nmiESsioNs  of  tokonto. 


i  :    ! 


It  was  with  unfeisj^ned  reluctance  that  I  said  fare- 
v.'ell  to  the  genial  and  enterprising  inhabitants  of 
Toronto.  In  addition  to  much  private  hospitality,  I 
had  enjoyed  that  of  three  clubs,  the  Toronto,  the 
National,  and  the  United  Empire.  The  first  is  an 
old  and  select  establisliment ;  tlie  otlier  two  are 
young  and  vigorous  rivals.  In  all  of  them,  go(jd 
eatiny:  and  drinking  can  l)e  had  at  a  charji-e  which 
seemed  to  me  very  moderate,  and  with  a  refinement 
which  cannot  be  surpassed.  I  had  been  long 
enough  here  to  take  an  interest  in  the  local  busi- 
ness of  the  place.  Three  important  electoral  con- 
tests occurred  during  my  stny.  It  was  supposed 
that  tlie  result  would  have  an  appreciable  effect 
upon  the  policy  and  stability  of  Mr.  Mackenzie's 
Administration.  Tlint  of  South  Ontario  was  the 
most  important,  for  it  was  accepted  as  in  some  mea- 
sure a  trial  of  strength  between  the  Government  and 
tlie  Opposition.  The  leading  members  of  both 
])arti(\s  joined  in  the  canvass,  nor  did  tlie  Premier 
think  it  undignified  to  come  forward  as  a  speaker  in 
support  of  Mr.  Edgar,  the  candidate  of  his  party. 
A  b(>tter  candidate  or  a  more  admiral)le  S])ecimen  of 
a  n<itive-born  ("auadian,  it  Avould  be  difficult  to  find. 


■PiimMiii 


■  •  \ 


IMTOESSIONS    OF   TORONTO. 


253 


ITcliad  already  been  in  Parliament  and  disting'ui^^lied 
himself  there.  Not  only  was  he  beaten,  bnt  a  seat 
was  lost  to  his  party.  Though  the  majority  was  only 
forty-one,  yet  the  defeat  had  the  greater  significanco 
in  a  political  point  of  view,  because  Mr.  Gibbs, 
the  successful  candidate,  based  his  claims  for  support 
on  the  advocacy  of  uncompromising  Protection, 
as  well  as  on  general  opposition  to  the  Ministry. 

I  had  tlio  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  specimen  of  one 
arm  of  the  defensive  force  upon  which  the  Dominion 
relies,  the  Toronto  Field-Battery.  Even  after  a 
careful  scrutiny  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  it 
from  a  battery  of  the  Royal  Artillei-y.  I  was  not 
surprised  when  Colonel  Strange,  tlio  Dominion 
Inspector  of  Artillery',  said  that  he  liad  never  ex- 
pected "  after  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  tlie  service, 
to  see  a  Volunteer  battery  so  thorougldy  efficient  in 
every  respect."  If  the  entire  defensive  force  be  of 
equal  quality,  Canada  has  no  cause  for  being  trou- 
bled with  a  panic,  while  belligerent  Fenians  will  act 
wisely  in  keeping  out  of  harm's  way. 

During  my  stay  in  Toronto,  Dominion  Day  was 
celebrated.  It  was  the  ninth  anniversary  of  the 
confederation  of  the  Provinces  and  of  the  befrinninsr 
of  a  career  as  full  of  promise  for  the  happiness  of 
the  people  and  for  the  good  of  mankind  as  was 
ever  vouchsafed  to  a  nation.  The  anniversary  was 
observed  as  a  public  holiday.  The  streets  were  gay 
with  flags  and  crowded  with  pleasure-seekers,  and 
the  absence  of  those  persons  who  desecrate  such 
occasions  by  intoxication  was  most  gratifying  to  me. 
A  Lacrosse  match  was  the  spectacle  which  attracted 
the  largest  number  of  sight-seers.  A  young  and 
ambitious  set  of  players  had  challenged  an  older  and 


'  rii:  i  Ji  \ 


^f^mm 


^m 


254 


COLUMBIA  AND  CANADA. 


flimous  one.  To  the  evident  surprise  of  the  former, 
a  few  goals  or  runs  were  scored  by  it.  At  this  un- 
expected success  some  of  the  youths  manifested 
their  dehght  with  such  an  energy  of  demonstration 
that  I  almost  expected  them  to  verify  the  exagge- 
rated saying  about  men  jumping  out  of  their  skins  for 
joy.  The  game  is  one  in  which  many  hard  knocks 
are  given  and  received,  and  in  which  speed  of  foot, 
quickness  of  hand,  and  sharpness  of  eye  have  to  be 
displayed.  In  one  match,  a  set  of  Indians  con- 
tended with  a  set  of  palefaces  ;  the  Indians  were 
beaten  alike  on  their  own  grounds  and  at  their  here- 
ditary game.  A  brilliant  display  of  fireworks  in  the 
Horticultural  Gardens  concluded  the  rejoicings  of 
Dominion  Day  in  Toronto.  No  public  h(  "day  could 
have  been  better  kept,  nor  could  a  great  historical 
anniversary  be  celebrated  with  more  heartiness  or 
propriety. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  I  saw  the  procession  which 
Orangemen  consider  appropriate  in  a  part  of  the 
world  where  Orangeism  is  an  anachronism.  Yet,  if 
some  Irishmen  or  their  descendants  and  sympa- 
thizers deem  it  essential  to  their  happiness  to  parade 
in  yellow  scarves  and  sashes  on  one  day  in  the  year, 
and  others  consider  themselves  faithless  to  their 
creed  and  country  if  they  omit  to  make  a  like  public 
display,  adorned  with  green  scarves  and  sashes,  on 
another,  it  would  be  intolerant  to  hinder,  and  it 
would  be  bad  taste  to  blame  them.  So  Ions;  as 
they  keep  the  peace,  they  do  no  harm  to  others, 
even  if  they  fail  to  benefit  themselves.  Happily, 
these  processions  seldom  lead  to  ill  consequences  in 
Ontario,  while  they  are  regarded  as  splendid  spectacles 
by  the  children. 


IMPRESSIONS   OF   TORONTO. 


255 


Tliere  are  three  theatres  in  Toronto  where  excel- 
lent performances  are  given.  During  my  visit,  an 
English  opera  troupe  appeared  at  the  summer  theatre 
in  tlie  Horticultural  Gardens.  The  principal  members 
of  it,  the  Misses  Holman,  are  two  Canadian  young 
ladies,  the  elder  of  whom  sings  and  acts  very  well.  I 
saw  them  perform  in  liccocq's  "  Girofie,  Girofla." 
The  operetta  was  well  put  on  the  stage,  and  the  com- 
pany acted  with  considerable  finish.  Miss  Holman, 
who  played  the  leading  female  part,  did  so  with  much 
effect,  and  justified  the  praise  which  admiring  Cana- 
dians lavish  upon  her.  If  she  could  only  get  rid  of  a 
spasmodic  action  of  the  shoulders,  which  mars  the 
effect  of  her  acting,  she  would  satisfy  the  most  fasti- 
dious critic.  These  are  but  a  few  of  the  sights  and 
pleasures  which  made  my  stay  in  the  capital  of  On- 
tario one  to  be  remembered  with  satisfaction.  I  ^Yils 
unfortunately  unable  to  attend  any  of  the  political 
picnics,  which  are  a  favourite  form  of  party  demon- 
stration. Speechifying  is  the  staple  of  the  enter- 
tainment, though  refreshments  in  a  solid  and  liquid 
shape  are  not  omitted  from  the  programme.  Having 
read  the  reports  of  many  speeches  delivered  on 
these  occasions,  I  found  that  they  all  bore  a  similar 
character;  Liie  speakers  trumpeting  forth  the  merits 
and  services  of  themselves  and  their  own  party,  and 
bewailing  the  sins  and  shortcomings  of  the  party  to 
which  their  opponents  belonged.  I  regretted  most 
of  all  that  other  engagements  prevented  me  from 
accepting  the  invitation  of  the  Honourable  George 
Brown  to  visit  his  estate  of  Boav  Park.  As  tlio 
founder  and  proprietor  of  the  Toronto  Globe,  as  an 
ex-Premier  of  Canada  prior  to  confederation,  as  a 
Senator  of  the   Dominion,  he  is  one  of  the  most 


.ii:i 


^mm^mf*. 


«P 


25G 


COLUXiniA    AND    f'ANADA. 


w 


!       \ 


■   I 
i 


notable  men  in  the  country;  like  enegetic  and  eniiuent 
men  in  all  countries,  lie  is  the  target  for  criticism, 
seldom  friendly  and  not  unfrequently  unjust.  IIo 
has  long  wielded  a  powerful  pen,  and  he  has  attained 
a  position  of  authority  whicli  renders  him  an  ol)jcct 
of  envy  and  animadversion.  If  public  men  could  be 
fairly  judged  during  their  lifetime,  I  fancy  the  persons 
who  speak  most  bitterly  about  this  truly  representa- 
tive Canadian  would  modify  their  language  and  make 
allowance  for  much  which  they  disHke.  It  is  certain 
that  ]\Ir.  Brown's  place  in  Canada  is  a  conspicuous 
one  ;  the  future  historian  will  probably  say  far  more 
in  his  praise  than  some  of  his  contemporaries  would 
dream  of  doing.  The  Ghhc  is  now  edited  by  his 
brother,  Mr.  Gordon  Brown,  a  man  of  great  sagacity, 
force  of  character,  and  journalistic  talent,  the  Honour- 
able George  Brown  devoting  the  greater  part  of 
his  time  to  the  rearing  of  thoroughbred  farm  stock. 
Like  Charles  James  Fox  and  Lord  Althorp,  he  finds 
a  pleasure  in  his  farm  nuich  more  satisfying  than 
that  afforded  by  the  turmoil  of  public  life.  Cer- 
tainly, his  success  in  improving  the  breed  of  cattle 
in  the  Dominion  is  not  the  least  among  his  useful 
achievements.  From  an  trticle  in  the  Canada 
Farmer  for  the  15th  January,  1876, 1  learn  that  Bow 
Park  estate  covers  900  acres,  of  whicli  780  are  under 
cultivation,  the  remainder  being  covered  with  roads, 
farm  buildings,  orchards,  and  belts  of  timber,  and 
supplying  pieces  of  wild  land  where  the  cattle  take 
their  daily  recreation.  The  bulls,  which  are  of  the 
purest  breeds,  have  been  imported  from  England. 
The  good  health  of  the  cattle  is  remarkable,  the 
death-rate  being  under  one  per  cent,  yearly.  No 
better  notion  of  what  has  been  accomplished  can  be 


IMPRESSIONS    OP   TOKONTO. 


257 


given  tlinn  by  quoting  tlio  following  passage : — 
"  Tlie  popularity  of  the  herd  keeps  pace  with  its 
iniprovonient.  Buyers  come  from  all  quarters.  A 
drove  of  reinarkal)ly  fine  heifers  went  across  the 
Continent  two  years  ago,  and  was  sliijipod  sit  San 
Francisco  by  steamer  for  the  Emperor  of  Japan. 
The  Provincial  Government  of  New  Brunswick  were 
purchasers  last  Fall  of  thirty  head  of  young  stock  ; 
and  Bow  Park  bred  shorthorns  have  already  found 
their  way  into  many  States  of  the  adjoining  Iie]Hib- 
lic,  and  into  a  large  proportion  of  the  townships  of 
Ontario."  I  repeat  my  regret  that  I  can  speak  of 
this  remarkable  place  from  hearsay  only,  and  I  add 
my  hope  that  I  may  yet  be  able  to  do  so  after  a 
personal  visit.  Of  this  I  entertain  no  doubt :  tho 
place  must  be  in  every  respect  noteworthy,  because 
Canadians  wdio  say  imcomplimentary  things  of  tho 
Honourable  George  Brown  as  a  journalist  and  a 
legislator  readily  express  their  admiration  for  Bow 
Park. 

I  cannot  single  out  for  separate  mention  all  the  per- 
sons in  Toronto  from  whom  I  received  much  kindness 
and  attention.  Rivals  in  politics,  they  were  at  one  in 
doing  what  lay  in  their  power  to  give  me  informa- 
tion and  to  render  my  stay  agreeable.  Belonging, 
as  they  did,  to  opposite  camps,  I  learned  more  from 
them  than  if  they  had  been  members  of  the  same 
party  and  treated  public  questions  with  the  one- 
sidedness  of  those  persons  who  represent  a  single 
aspect  in  politics  or  government.  I  am  convinced 
that  Canadian  politics,  however  provincial  they  may 
seem,  and  however  arid  and  unattractive  they  may 
be  to  the  superficial  observer,  are  in  reality  worthy 
of  close  study  by  all  students  of  political  science. 

s 


258 


COLUMIUA    AND    CANADA. 


M 


(  I 


IM 


It  11 


Indeed,  Canada  is  a  theatre  on  wliieli  a  great 
legislative  drama  is  now  in  i)rogress.  All  the  races 
which  inhabit  tlie  United  Kingdom  are  there  work- 
ing out  a  common  destiny  in  concert  with  the  race 
which  inhabits  France.  We  know  how  difficult  it  is 
for  Englishmen,  Scotsmen,  and  Irishmen  to  dwell 
together  in  concord,  })romoting  their  own  haj)- 
piness  by  a  right  acceptance  of  the  soothing 
principle  of  compromise,  and  by  submitting  to  the 
rule  of  expediency  instead  of  stiffly  contending  for 
the  uniform  application  of  logical  but  unpractical 
conclusions.  Our  Canadian  brethren  have  the 
further  difficulty  of  persuading  those  among  them 
who  are  of  French  origin,  o  unite  in  a  general 
design,  and  to  place  the  interest  of  a  common 
country  above  the  prejudices  of  race  and  the 
promptings  of  tradition.  Hitherto  the  result  has 
been  far  more  satisfactory  than  any  mere  reasoncr 
could  have  foreseen.  All  things  are  working  for 
good.  Frenchmen  in  speech  and  descent  hero 
manifest  as  strong  an  attachment  to  self-govern- 
ment and  to  parliamentary  institutions  as  the  most 
patriotic  Briton  could  display,  and  they  belie  the 
idle  talk  about  the  representative  system  of  the 
United  Kingdom  being  unsuited  for  the  excitable 
members  of  the  Celtic  family.  There  was  true 
wisdom  as  well  as  Gallic  wit  in  the  reply  of  the  late 
Sir  George  Cartier  to  the  inquiry  of  the  Queen, 
"  AVhat,  Sir  George,  is  a  French  Canadian  ? " 
' '  Your  Majesty,  he  is  an  Englishman  who  speaks 
French."  The  French  Canadians  speak  English 
also,  and  many  combine  in  a  remarkable  degree  the 
best  qualities  of  both  nationalities.  Moreover,  they 
are  among  the  most  patriotic  subjects  of  the  Crown, 


IMPRESSIONS    OF   TORONTO. 


250 


and  the  saying  of  Sir  Etionnc  Taclu',  tliat  the  last 
shot  fired  on  the  North  American  Continent  in 
support  of  iiritish  siipreaiucy  would  bo  fired  by  a 
iMvueh  C;iuadiaii  from  the  citadel  of  Quebec, 
forcibly  expresses  what  would  happen  in  an  almost 
impossible  event. 


o 


II 'I 


k! 


200 


XVII. 


TOKONTO   TO    SOUTITAJirTON. 


/I 


i    .:i 


I  JOURNEYHD  to  tho  SuspoTision  Bi'idg^o  wliicli  crosses 
tlio  river  Nia^jfara  over  tlic  Groat  Western  Railway, 
thence  to  BntFalo  and  New  Yoi-k  over  tlie  l^lric 
Railway.  The  latter  is  a  line  with  which  British 
investors  arc  painfully  familiar.  They  have  rcceivtd 
from  its  directors  abundant  and  reiterated  promises 
of  future  dividends,  accompanied  with  requests  for 
tho  disbursement  of  more  capital.  In  a  Avork  pub- 
lished in  1860,  and  written  by  Mr.  F.  C.  Grattan, 
who  had  been  British  Consul  at  Boston  for  twenty 
years,  it  is  said,  "  Should  any  one  be  tempted  to 
trust  his  money  in  American  ventures,  let  him 
inquire  the  history  of  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail- 
road Company."  Yet,  despite  warning  and  ex- 
perience, credulous  investors  continued  to  furnish  the 
directors  of  this  company  with  the  additional  capital 
which  the  shrewder  citizens  of  the  United  States 
refused  to  supply.  So  long  as  money  is  sent  from 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the  directors  of  the  Erie 
Railway  are  always  pleased  to  receive  and  prepared 
to  spend  it  on  the  other.  If  the  British  capitalist 
had  never  become  a  holder  of  Erie  shares  or  bonds, 
or  if  he  had  judiciously  refrained  from  responding 
to  the  demands  for  more  capital,  it  is  probable  that 


il! 


TOKONTO    TO    SOL'TIIAMITON. 


201 


tlic  litu^  would  linvo  been  better  mannf^etl,  and  it  is 
ceilain  that  its  condition  could  not  have  been  more 
hopeless  than  at  present.  The  line  is  well  made  ; 
it  runs  throu<^h  a  rich  and  beautiful  country ;  it  is  a 
trunk  line  connectinnr  the  markets  of  the  West  with 
the  mart  of  New  York.  But  it  has  competitors, 
e(|ually  favoured  in  all  these  respects,  which,  beiu<^ 
narrow-g*u;ig(!  lines,  can  be  Avorked  at  less  cost  than 
it  can  bo,  seeing  that  it  is  a  broad-guage  one.  The 
rates  charged  nmst  be  the  same  as  those  which  are 
charged  by  directors  of  other  companies,  though 
the  work  has  to  be  done  at  greater  outlay.  This 
railway  niiiy  ])ay  a  dividend  on  the  ordinary  stock 
about  the  same  time  that  a  dividend  is  paid  by  the 
Emma  Mine.  The  position  of  a  bondholder  may  be 
considered  more  favourable  by  those  investors  who 
are  exceedingly  sanguine.  I  should  rank  Erie 
bonds  with  those  of  Greece  or  Mexico,  Honduras 
or  Turkey,  as  a  safe  and  permanent  investment.. 

For  the  third  time  during  this  visit  to  the  United 
States,  I  arrived  at  New  York  and  spent  a  few  days 
there.  On  one  of  these  occasions  the  heat  was 
overpowering,  being  more  intense,  1  was  told,  than 
had  been  experienced  for  many  a  year.  Indeed, 
the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Republic  was 
remai'kable  as  the  year  in  which  the  Iiottest  summer 
on  record  had  occurred.  For  weeks  together,  1 
did  not  see  the  thermometer  indicalo  less  than 
H\f  in  the  sliade ;  while  it  often  indicated  1()(>°. 
In  Admiral  Anson's  "  Voyage  round  the  World," 
it  is  said  that  the  higlicst  puint  of  the  thermometer 
in  the  Centurion,  during  three  years  and  nine 
months,  was  7()°.  The  Rev.  Ilieliard  Walter,  who 
wrote  the  stoi'y  of  the  voyage,  remarks  that,  once  in 


''■•'vmtf'j-mmmwwitfwmmmmmmBtmmmmammmmm 


or,o 


COLUMBIA    A\n    CANADA. 


[f 


174G,  the  thormomctor  in  London  marked  7S^,  and 
that"/  lie  liad  lioard  of  tlie  temperature  lia-vinc^  been 
98°  at  St.  Petersburg  in  1743,  this,  he  says,  being  a 
*'  degree  of  I'eat,  tliat,  were  it  not  authorized  by  the 
regularity  and  circumspection  with  whicli  tlie  ob- 
servations seem  to  have  been  made,  would  appear 
altogether  incredible."  Till  I  had  spent  the  summer 
months  in  the  United  Stater,  and  Canada,  I  was 
quite  as  sceptical  as  the  cliaplalii  to  Admiral  Anson 
about  the  degree  of  heat'  which  the  human  frame 
could  sustain.  I  now  readily  admit,  however,  that 
the  hotfent  spot  which  the  imagination  can  picture 
may  be  found  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  and  that 
the  best  men  rmiy  suffer  as  severely  as  the  worst. 

As  it  suitt.'d  my  convenience  to  land  at  South- 
ampton, I  resolved  to  embark  at  New  York  in  a 
steamer  of  the  Wilson  line  which  touched  there  on 
the  way  to  Hull.  I  liad  heard  the  steamers  of  this 
company  botli  disparaged  and  praised.  Whether  they 
are  well  adapted  for  encountering  tne  tei'rific  storms 
which  sometimes  sweep  over  the  Atlantic,  I  shall 
leave  to  the  decision  of  professional  mariners.  I 
caa  say  thit  the  state-room  occupied  by  my  wife 
and  myself  was  the  best-arranged  and  most  spacious 
I  have  ever  seen.  On  the  other  hand,  there  v/as  a 
great  and  unfavourable  contrast  between  the  meagre 
fare  provided  for  the  first-class  passengers,  and  the 
frequent  and  sumptuous  repasts  s(~rved  on  board 
the  steamer  of  the  National  lino  which  I  have 
described  in  the  second  chapter. 

The  first-class  passengers  were  few  in  number, 
without  being  select.  All  the  officers  were  ex- 
perienced navigatijrs,  and  pleasant  men.  Captain 
Laver,    who    had    been    for    fifteen     years    in    the 


TORONTO   TO    SCJUTHAMPTON. 


263 


service  of  tlie  Inman  line,  and  liad  but  recently 
entered  the  service  of  the  Wilson  line,  had 
a  perfect  familiarity  with  thw  Atlantic  in  all  its 
moods  and  pliases.  j\lr.  Guthrie,  the  chief  officer, 
liad  been  ]a  command  of  several  steamships  ;  but, 
having  spciit  three  years  on  shore,  he  accepted  this 
subordinate  post  till  he  should  again  obtain  an 
independent  connnand.  The  second  and  third 
officers  had  been  frequently  backwards  and  forwards 
between  England  and  the  United  States.  The  less 
I  say  about  the  crew  the  better.  Such  a  motley 
set  of  sailors  I  never  saw  before.  The  best  seaman 
among  them  was  a  Greek,  and  the  next  best  Avas  a 
negro.  Sometimes,  when  the  officer  of  the  watch 
gave  an  order,  he  had  to  explain  to  the  sailors 
what  he  meant,  and  show  tlunn  how  to  execut(3  it. 
AVhen  sailors  do  not  always  know  one  rope  from 
another,  they  fail  to  inspire  a  landsman  with  con- 
fidence. Had  Mr.  Plimsoll  been  a  passenger,  he 
might  have  been  more  impressed  with  the  sea- 
worthiness of  the  vessel  than  with  that  of  the  crew. 
At  Southampton  I  had  an  easy  task  in  con- 
vincing the  Customs  authorities  that  no  spirits, 
cigars,  or  silv.T-plate  were  concealed  in  my  luggage. 
Perhaps  a  large  profit  can  be  got  by  importing 
spirits  from  the  United  States  or  Canada,  but  this  is 
a  busine':'S  about  which  1  am  i<niorant.  I  know 
that  I  can  buy  cigars  one-third  cheaper  in  London 
than  in  New  York,  do  the  temptation  to  bring  them 
from  the  latter  to  the  former  place  is  not  one  to 
which  1  am  likely  to  succumb.  I  have  no  objection 
to  silver-plate  when  it  is  given  to  me;  but,  wIkmi 
furnishing  a  house  at  my  own  (>xj)ense,  I  prclVi- 
electro-plate,   '''stly,  because  it  costs  less;  secondly, 


II 


ii\ 


i!^' 


•i  i 


^jyiuwiiiiiiffipwvui  III 


wmKmmmmm 


2G4 


COLUMBIA    ANl'    CA^NADA. 


because  it  is  quite  as  servicieabk',  Jiiill  ilJwrdlj, 
because  it  has  slij^ht  attraction  for  piiferey»,  I  bail 
simply  to  unlock  one  or  tw-o  artic^ie*  of  Inggja^  a«  a 
matter  of  form.  The  ab^f^r^^v  of  ffi*^rt?>j*ou«  Ui<n»»*i-' 
ness  on  the  part  of  the  CuHt-ow?  Hon  so  offieers  4MMte 
thie  k»niding  her*;  afid  the  |>r'>«peet  €»f  a  spei*;*^ 
arrivall  at-  home  all!  tfe*»  more  a«''fw^*^ble. 

The  *fceafwier  from  whi^li  J  had  ^larrtl^ed  ccm^^ime^ 
her  voyat^p^  to  Hu^l,  her  destined  j»»^t.  Mer  aaine 
is  one  wbi<^  is  now  shrcj^j4ed  in  the  j>;»finful  m^wtery 
which  su<rrr>y»fD<d8  the  ill^M^Uid  Preifideit^  t:he  J^ajiJ&e^ 
the  (7/^^  of  J^^^i>oi},  an^l  othi^?* -"^.^  which  tn^ve  f^^^np- 
peared  aiv!l  i<^  Ji^  .sign .  8{HWt>|^  from  Huf  '$or  M^^av 
York  in  th*  f»y/ji\d^  caiwiit^,  .41^  aever  fieaeii^  ht!a> 
destination.  H  i*;  j«aiprot)abh^  f^mit  any  tii^ings 
Avill    ever  l>e  '    >^'  the  la»^'  :y^B>g@  a»d  the 

end  of  the  k^  m        >  f^loninbo. 


205 


xvni. 

A   EETROSPECT   AND   A    COMPARISON. 

If  some  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Republic,  such  as 
Frankhii  and  Jefferson,  John  Adams  and  Washington, 
had  risen  from  theii*  graves  and  been  present  at  its 
centenary,  they  would  have  been  as  strangers  among 
a  •v''>le  whom  they  had  moulded  into  a  nation, 
l-Tiavii-^  as  much  to  unlearn  as  the  most  prejudiced 
■yj>f^>.:\(rner.  and  as  much  to  learn  as  the  most  intelh- 
j»f#'  Japanese.  They  would  have  had  to  take 
Jloijll^lld'  in  the  geography  of  their  country  in  order 
;':'  -r-«i^i^ain  the  boundaries  and  designations  of  many 
j^art/^-' ;  the  names  and  situations  of  many  cities ; 
'd  have  had  to  acquire  information  about 
U:^',  *"\^.'  of  party  managers  and  the  mode  in  winch 
i^ttf  chief  «(f*agistrate  is  now  elected  ;  they  miglit  have 
i-j^^tm  y^//<^'d  to  recognize  any  material  hkeness 
i>etv^<^*^  the  system  of  government  which  they  found 
.^  </i/ '**<'■' v>n  and  the  carefully  balanced  Re])ublic 
#if/^^  (Uu*^-^"  lied  into  existence. 

4-0^TA^m  would  assuredly  contem])late  with 
del'/  'he  pure  democracy  which  has  fulfilled  his 
wisiifH,  {/iv'^n  effect  to  his  teaching,  and  supplanted 
the  original  K*})ublic.  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and 
Washington  might  prefer  the  form  of  government 
which    they   had    elaborated  with    a    siugle-minded 


I; 


mi  ■-'''mKmm 


2GG 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


desire  to  render  the  welfare  of  tlieir  country  indepen- 
dent of  tiie  triumph  of  a  party,  to  protect  the  people 
from  becoming  the  tools  or  dupes  of  professional 
politicians,  and  to  insure  the  effective  re[)resentation 
of  the  deliberate  and  undoubted  opinion  of  the 
nation.  While  finding^  matter  for  discussion  or 
criticism,  they  would  also  find  mucii  wherein  to 
glory.  The  widened  area  and  increased  population 
of  their  country ;  the  grand  array  of  States  and 
Territories ;  the  vastness  and  opulence  of  cities 
which  in  their  day  were  but  petty  towns,  covering 
what  was  once  a  dense  wood  or  noisome  SAvamp ; 
the  net-work  of  railways,  over  which  goods  and 
passengers  are  carried  with  a  rapidity  and  con- 
venience far  in  excess  of  what  was  possible  on  tlie 
canals  which  they  considered  a  perfect  means  of 
transport ;  the  newspapers  as  far  superior  to  the 
gazettes  of  their  time  as  a  modern  school  manual 
is  to  a  niediceval  horn-book  ;  the  steamboats  which 
crowd  the  rivers ;  the  electric  telegraph^  which  have 
made  lightning  the  servant  of  thought ;  the  innumer- 
ableappliances  which  have  lengthened  and  ameliorated 
existence  since  they  left  the  world,  and  the  absence 
from  their  country  of  the  curse  of  slavery  which  they 
deplored,  but  could  not  extirpate:  all  these  things 
would  excite  tiieir  admiration  and  thankfulness,  and 
justify  them  in  rejoicing  over  the  results  of  their 
handiwork. 


11 


"  What  are  the  great  United  States  for,  if  not  for 
the  regeneration  of  man  ?"  General  Choke  defiantly 
put  this  question  when  he  was  persuading  Martin 
Chuzzlewit  to  become  a  permanent  settler  in  Eden, 
The  phrase  is  a  condensed  reilex  of  the  optimism 


I 


A    KETKOSrEGT   AND   A    COMrARISON. 


!G7 


which  prevailed  when  the  Repiibhc  was  young. 
The  rhodomontade  in  which  Britons  so  dehcrhted  in 
the  eigh.teenth  century,  that  the  impostor  Jenkins 
was  enabled  to  originate  war  with  Spain  by  telling 
a  committee  of  the  TTouse  of  Commons,  when 
interrogated  as  to  what  he  thought  after  the  Spanish 
captain  had  cut  oft'  his  ear,  "  I  commended  my  soul 
to  God,  and  my  cause  to  my  country," — soon  became 
the  fashion  among  the  citizens  of  the  Republic  in 
North  America.  They  fancied  themselves  to  be  a 
peculiar  people,  who  had  been  entrusted  with  the 
sacred  L^ission  of  diffusing  a  vague  abstraction  called 
the  "  Great  American  Idea,"  and  considered,  when 
they  uttered  the  iminoral  phrase,  "  our  country  right 
or  wrong."  that  they  were  giving  vent  to  a  maxim  of 
the  truest  patriotism.  Taught  to  repeat  that  the 
natural  ecpiality  of  all  men  is  a  self-evident  truth, 
they  have  always  been  aisinclined  to  inquire  how.  far 
this  assertion  will  stand  the  test  of  critical  examina- 
tion. A  patriotic  phrase  can  seldom  bear  analj'sis, 
and  those  persons  who  utter  it,  being  instinctively 
conscious  of  that  fact,  shrink  from  substantiating  the 
literal  accuracy  of  what  they  glibly  repeat. 

It  is  self-evident  that  all  men  are  not  created 
equal.  If  all  men  enter  the  Avorld  with  equal 
possibilities,  they  do  not  enjoy  equal  opportunities, 
and  opportunity  is  fortune  or  fate.  Natural  equality 
and  nnitual  dependence  is  the  rule  of  the  human  race. 
An  infant  left  to  itself  will  starve  :  those  persons  Avho 
leave  an  infant  to  itself  commit  murder.  The  idlest 
talk  in  whicli  people  can  indulge  is  that  which  treats 
of  human  rights  without  taking  human  duties  into 
account.  It  is  infinitely  more  to  the  advantage  of 
t'.ie  connnuiiily  that   duties,  which  are  coextensive 


2G8 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


witli  riglits,  should  be  iiscortaiiicd  {nid  di^^fyii;u'o;(Ml 
tliJiii  that  rlglits  should  bo  assorted  and  lauded.  The 
tendency  of  some  unreflecting  United  States  citizens 
has  been  to  follow  the  lead  of  Jefl'erson,  and  hold 
that  they  have  done  enough  when  they  have  pro- 
claimed and  upheld  their  collective  independence. 
Believing  that  this  is  all  that  can  be  required  of  them, 
they  are  prone  to  speak  with  contempt  of  nations 
wherein  human  nature  and  society  are  treated  as 
complex  problems  and  wherein  no  vain  attempt  is 
made  to  enforce  or  parade  a  purely  chimerical 
imiformity.  The  only  true  and  really  practical 
ccpiality  is  equality  before  the  law,  and  of  this  the 
United  States  do  not  possess  a  monopoly.  It  is  a 
rule,  to  which  the  exceptions  are  not  more  frequent 
there  than  in  other  lands,  that  those  persons  who 
boast  the  loudest  about  the  country  to  wliicli  they 
belong  by  the  accident  of  biith,  seldom  give  that 
country  any  reason  to  be  proud  of  them,  while  those 
persons  who  copy  their  example,  after  having  been 
naturalized,  seldom  give  the  country  which  they  have 
left  any  cause  to  regret  their  departure. 

While  the  phrases  of  Jefferson  have  exercised  an 
important  inlluence  over  his  fellow-countrymen, 
other  causes  have  contributed  to  establish  a  feel- 
ing of  superiority  i  their  minds.  United  States 
nationality  was  based  upon  the  vigorous  resistance 
of  the  Empire  from  wliich  it  was  an  off-shoot.  The 
triumph  of  the  seceding  and  victorious  Colonists  was 
twofold;  tliey  had  become  independent,  and  they 
had  conquered  their  ind^'pendenco  in  the  teetli  of 
formictable  odds.  After  tlieir  powei*  to  have  their 
awn  way  \v:i,s  (Kiiionstrated  in  the  field,  they  had  to 
face  asuwers  and  prejudices  more  cutting  and  painful 


A    K'ETKOSrECT    AXl)    A    COMPATUSON. 


2G9 


tlian  the  arms  of  th(^  fo(\  Tliey  were  assured  that 
tlioir  indopeiKlenco  was  an  illusion,  that  thpy  must 
inevitably  become  the  sport  of  anarchy,  the  vassals 
of  a  dictator,  or  the  pivy  of  a  foreign  conqueror. 
Though  the  elements  of  strength  and  greatness  in 
the  infant  Republic  were  recognized  by  a  few  states- 
men of  genius,  among  whom  Charles  James  Fox  was 
most  conspicuous,  yet  the  mnjority  of  those  persons 
who  gave  any  heed  to  its  ailairs  gleefully  pointed 
out  bow  far  the  government  fell  short  of  perfection 
and  confidently  predicted  that  the  republican  bubble 
would  soon  burst.  Undue  boasting  and  exao-nfei'ated 
expectations,  on  the  one  side,  were  coincident  with, 
if  they  did  not  encourage  unfair  depreciation  on  the 
other. 

It  was  unfortunate  that  some  of  the  earliest 
travellers  in  the  United  States  were  foolish  enthu- 
siasts, who  wrote  nonsense  about  a  state  of  nature 
and  the  rights  of  man.  The  Marquis  of  Lafayette 
exhibited  a  childish  exultation  at  ])laying  the  part  of 
a  good  republican.  If  it  be  diihcult  for  a  ricli  man 
to  enter  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  it  is  easy  for  such 
an  one  to  get  unmerited  credit  on  earth  by  professing 
to  be  no  better  than  the  humblest  of  mankind,  and 
to  attain  an  exalted  place  by  judiciously  stooping. 
Being  a  manpiis  and  a  man  of  large  fortune, 
Lafayette  found  in  the  profession  of  theoretical 
republicanism,  the  enjoyment  of  a  new  sensation 
and  a  passport  to  a  popularity  which  he  might  not 
otherwise  have  obtained. 

His  countryman,  M.  Brissot,  who  was  guillotined 
by  his  republican  brethren  in  Paris  on  account  of 
his  undoubted  attachment  to  liberty,  visited  tho 
United   States   in   1788.     Tie    expected   to    (ind   a 


■ !       A 


i\ 


f  'I? 


M 


170 


COLUMDIA    AN'n   CANADA. 


; 


terrestrial  paradise  there.  Before  landinp^  he  ex- 
perienced vivid  pleasure  from  a  cominoiiplace  inci- 
dent. The  master  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  a 
passenger,  having  spoken  with  a  fishing-boat  oil' the 
banks  of  Newfoundland,  received  a  few  cod-fish,  for 
which  he  gave  some  salt  beef  and  pork  in  exchange. 
This  reminded  M.  Brissot  of  "  primitive  times,  the 
thought  of  which  is  always  associated  with  greater 
purity  and  happiness."  '  On  stepping  ashore  at 
Boston,  he  was  "  spared  the  annoyances,  which  are 
even  more  humiliating  than  wearisome,  of  a  visit 
from  custom-house  ofiicers,  as  is  the  rule  in  Euro- 
pean countries."  lie  was  charmed  with  the  aspect 
of  the  people  in  the  streets  of  this  town.  These 
sturdy  Repul)licans  had  neither  the  pleasure-seeking 
look  of  Parisians  nor  the  haughty  carriage  of  the 
English ;  "  their  air  was  simple  and  honest,  yet 
fraught  with  the  dignity  of  men  conscious  of  their 
freedom,  and  who  regard  their  fellow-men  as  their 
brethren  and  equals."  Once  he  saw  the  drivar  of  a 
staixe-coach,  who  was  the  butt  of  bitter  remarks 
from  the  passengers,  keep  his  temper  and  hold  his 
tongue.  M.  Brissot  thought  that  in  Europe  a 
bloody  quarrel  would  have  been  the  result  of  a 
similar  provocation ;  here,  however,  the  result  con- 
vinced him  that  "  in  a  free  country  reason  extends 
her  empire  over  every  class."  He  noted  some 
drawbacks  in  this  modern  Arcadia.  There  were  too 
many  prosperous  lawyers  in  Boston  and  too  many 
bachelors  in  New  York  ;  both  being  dangerous  ele- 
ments in  a  Republic.  It  pleased  him  to  learn  that 
the  bachelors  in  Pennsylvania  paid  a  heavier  poll- 

'  "  NoLiveau   "t  oyage  clans  les  Etats-Unii^,"   par   J.   P.    Brissot, 
vol.  i.  p.  105. 


A    HETKOSl'ECT   AND    A    COMPARISON. 


271 


tax  than  married  men.  Ho  saw  witli  diso^ust  the 
sad  and  novel  spectacle  of  llepublicans  smokiiio* 
cip^ars.  Ho  states  that  "  this  custom  is  loathsomo 
to  a  Frenchman.  It  must  be  offensive  to  women 
because  it  aflects  the  purity  of  the  Ijreath ;  it  must 
be  censured  by  a  philosoplier  because  it  causes 
superfluous  expense."  In  his  opinion,  as  great  an 
evil  as  tobacco-smoking'  is  for  women  in  a  Ee- 
piiblic  to  follow  the  fashions.  Being  present  at  a 
dinner-party  in  New  York,  he  saw  two  ladies  hi  low- 
necked  gowns  and  ho  "  was  scandalized  at  this 
indecency  in  female  Republicans."  His  fellow- 
countryman,  the  Marquis  do  Chastellux,  who  visited 
the  United  States  a  few  years  before  him,  comments 
in  a  like  strain  on  the  necessity  for  the  women  of  a 
Republic  being  models  of  sim})licity  in  dress  ;  he 
thinks  it  incompatible  with  the  political  system  of 
the  country  that  gold,  silver,  or  diamonds  should  be 
worn.^  The  translator  of  the  marquis's  book,  who 
was  an  imcompromising  partisan  of  the  United 
States,  and  travelled  there  diiring  the  Revolution, 
records  that  "  the  rage  for  dress  among  the  women 
in  America,  in  the  ve"  "  height  of  the  miseries  of 
war,  was  beyond  all  boimds."  ^  M.  Brissot  does  not 
exempt  even  the  Quakers  from  backsliding  in  this 
matter :  he  holds  that  their  principles  began  to 
decay  when  they  took  to  wearing  fine  linen.  In 
addition  to  the  superabundance  of  lawyers,  bachelors, 
and  fashiouable  garments,  M.  Brissot  observed  with 
regret,  that  some  persons,  whom  he  styles  well-bred, 
ostentatiously  dispensed  with  pocket  handkercliiefs. 
Among    the   limts    for   their   improvement,   -witli 

'  "  Tnivels  in  North  America  iu  17SO-S1-S2  "  vol.  ii.  p.  HUO. 
'  Vol.  ii.  p.  115. 


n 


m 


pnt 


t  Mil 


an 


272 


coiiUMniA  Axn  casada. 


I,  i 


'I 


wliicli  ho  favoiirod  tlio  citizens  of  tlio  United  States, 
was  one  to  the  etfoct  that  they  slionld  ;i])f)lisl»  pubhc 
i^aols.  They  cost  miicli  to  build  .iiid  they  are 
unpleasant  j)laces  of  abode.  Far  better,  lie  thiid<s, 
would  it  be  if  criminals  were  coiulemned  to  serve 
their  terms  of  imprisonment  in  tlieii*  own  houses, 
with  policemen  on  duty  at  the  doors.  Another 
piece  of  advice,  equally  judicious  and  practical,  was 
that  a  mercantile  marine  should  neither  be  en- 
couraged nor  maintained.  In  his  opinion  a  sea- 
faring life  is  unnatural.  Men  who  navigate  the 
ocean  may  become  sea-sick  and  must  dispense  with 
the  society  of  their  wives  ;  the  one  being  a  great 
affliction  and  the  other  a  great  deprivation.  His 
conclusion  is  that  Republicans  ought  to  avoid  being 
sea-sick  and  should  maintain  domestic  habits  by 
engaging  in  the  coasting-trade  and  always  keeping 
within  sight  and  reach  of  land.'*  Had  he  tried  the 
experiment,  he  mir>ht  have  found  that  the  malady 
which  he  dreaded  tioes  not  always  spare  the  fair- 
weather  sailor  who  coasts  along  the  shore. 

On  the  whole,  however,  M.  Brissot  was  enchanted 
with  the  United  States.  Wherever  ho  went,  "  he 
met  with  the  hospitable  reception  which  is  accorded 
to  a  brother  and  a  friend,  travelling  for  the  good  of 
the  human  race."  Being  struck  wi'li  tlie  purity  of 
the  manners,  he  explains  this  by  saying  that  nine- 
tenths  of  the  people  are  dispersed  throughout  the 
country.  If  the  purity  be  as  great  now  as  it  was 
then,  the  explanation  does  not  hold  good.  In  1800, 
one  tn^enty-fifth  part  of  the  population  was  congre- 
gated in  towns  having  8,000  inhabitants  and  up- 
wards ;    in  1870,  the   proportion    was    one-fifth." ' 

*  Vol.  i.  p.  100.  '  "  Walkur's  Statistical  Atlas."     1870. 


A  KETi;osn;r;T  and  a  comi-arison. 


27;} 


11. 


Though  pronouncing  Franco,  Avliicli  ho  had  quitted 
in  disgust,  to  bo  "  tho  ricliost,  tho  most  poworful, 
and  most  onliglitonod  country  in  tlio  woi'Ul,"  M. 
Jirissot  adjures  those  wlio  "doubt  tlie  prodigious 
ctlects  of  lib(.'rty  u})on  man  and  his  industry,  to  go  to 
the  United  States.  What  miracles  will  they  not  see 
there !  "  ' 

In  the  year  '>  of  tho  French  Re|)ublic  and  tho 
year  1795  of  tho  civilized  world,  Volney  embarked 
at  Havre  for  the  United  States.  Ho  had  travelled 
much  and  written  some  striking  works ;  ho  was  an 
actor  in  the  Revolution,  siding  with  the  Girondists, 
and  had  passed  ten  months  in  prison  on  account  of 
his  advocacy  of  freedom.  Grieving  for  the  past, 
discpiieted  about  tho  future,  ho  crossed  tho  Atlantic 
in  quest  of  a  peaceful  asylum  wherein  to  dwell  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Ho  travelled  over  the 
United  States,  "  studying  the  climate,  huvs,  inhabi- 
tants, and  their  manners,  chiefly  with  regard  to 
social  life  and  domestic  happiness."  After  an  ex- 
perience of  three  years,  he  resolved  to  end  his  days 
there,  but  the  animosity  against  tho  French  was  so 
great,  in  1798,  that  he  recrossed  the  ocean  in  tho 
hope  of  finding  a  quiet  resting-place  in  Europe. 

Volney  planned  a  work  on  tho  United  States,  of 
which  the  only  part  given  to  the  world  was  an  out- 
line of  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  country, 
entitled  a  "  View  of  the  Climate  and  Soil  of  the 
United  States  of  America."  In  an  introduction  ho 
sketches  th(.  T)lan  of  tho  entire  work,  which  would 
have  been  in  d'."ect  contrast,  in  many  respects,  to 
the  idyllic  picti're  by  his  countryman,  M.  Brissot. 

•  Vol.  ii.  p.  327. 


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274 


COLUIIBTA    AND    PANADA. 


!■«■ 


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IJI 

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He  expressed  regret  at  not  having  found  "  in  the 
Americans  those  fraternal  and  benevolent  disposi- 
tions ^vith  Avhich  some  writers  have  flattered  ns ;" 
he  thought  that  they  retain  a  strong  tinge  of  tlie 
national  prejudices  of  their  Mother  Country  against 
the  French.  He  was  impressed  with  the  differences 
between  the  two  nations;  differences  which  wholly 
escaped  M.  Brissot's  observation.  Yolney  says,  "  The 
Americans  charge  the  French  with  levity,  indiscre- 
tion and  talkativeness,  and  the  French  reproach 
them  with  a  dryness  of  manner,  a  stiffness,  and  a 
taciturnity,  that  carry  the  ap2")earance  of  pride  and 
haughtiness,  and  such  a  negli"'ence  of  those  att(>n- 

O  '  kD       CD 

tions,  those  civilities,  on  which  they  set  a  value, 
that  they  continually  imagine  they  see  in  them  a 
design  to  affront,  or  rudeness  of  character."  In  his 
opinion,  the  latter  charges  are  not  devoid  of  founda- 
tion, thouo-h  he  doubts  whether  the  national  in- 
civility be  wholly  due  to  systematic  design.  Ho 
thinks  the  people  particularly  deserve  to  be  called, 
what  they  often  call  themselves,  a  "  young  peo|)le," 
on  account  of  "  the  inexperience  and  eagerness,  with 
which  they  give  themselves  up  to  the  enjoyments  of 
fortune  and  the  seductions  of  flattery."  He  thinks, 
too,  that  the  United  States  have  been  more  indebted 
to  their  isolated  situation  and  the  natural  riches  of 
the  country  "  than  to  the  essential  goodness  of  their 
laws,  or  the  wisdom  of  their  administration,  for  their 
public  prosperity,  and  civil  and  individual  wealth." 
In  reviewing  the  conduct  of  the  people  and  the 
Government  from  1783  to  1798,  he  believes  that  he 
can  prove  by  incontestable  facts,  "  that  neither  more 
economy  in  the  finances,  more  good  faith  in  pul)lic 
transactions,  more  decency  in  public  morals,  more 


csiEsa?^ 


A    KETKOSl'KCT    AND    A    (DM  I'ARISOX. 


275 


moderation  of  party  spirit,  nor  more  care  in  educa- 
tion and  instruction,  prevailed  in  the  United  States, 
in  proportion  to  tlieir  population,  the  mass  of  affairs, 
and  the  multiplicity  of  interests,  than  in  most  of  the 
old  States  of  Europe :  that  whatever  has  been  done 
there  of  good  and  useful,  and  whatever  of  civil 
liberty,  and  security  of  person  and  property,  exists 
among  them,  is  owing  rather  to  popular  and  personal 
habits,  the  necessity  of  labour,  and  the  high  price  of 
all  kinds  of  work,  than  any  able  measures  or  sage 
policy  of  government," '  The  foregoing  extracts 
prove  how  very  dissimilar  were  the  conclusions  of 
Yolney  and  Brissot ;  exaggeration  on  the  one  side 
was  paralleled  by  exaggeration  on  the  other. 

Mr.  Isaac  Weld  was  the  ejirliest  traveller  from  the 
European  side  of  the  Atlantic  who  gave  a  really  valu- 
able account  of  what  was  to  be  seen  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  His  ol)ject  in  going  thither  was 
to  learn  whether  he  could  advise  his  countiymen  to 
emigrate  from  Ireland.  He  paid  his  visit  seven 
years  after  M.  Brissot;  unlike  him,  he  was  not 
treated  as  a  friend  and  brother.  Accordins:  to 
Mr.  AVeld,  if  it  were  found  out  "  that  a  stranger  is 
from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  the  people  innne- 
diately  begin  to  boast  of  their  constitution  and  free- 
dom, and  give  him  to  understand  that  they  think 
every  Englishman  a  slave  because  he  submits  to  be 
called  a  subject."  *  He  was  unfavourably  impressed 
with  the  poorer  class  of  the  people  :  "  They  return 
rude  and  impertinent  answers  to  questions  couched 
in  the  most  civil  terms,  and  will  insult  a  person  that 

'  rrofacc  to  "  View  of  the  Climate  and  Soil  of  the  United  States 
of  Amoriea,"  by  C.  F.  Yohioy,  p.  xv. 

*  Isaac  Wold's  "  Travels  through  North  A  aerioa  and  Canada 
in  17y5-G-7,"  vol.  i.  p.  125. 


!     'I 


Si;. 


f\: 


::  i 


t 


^7G 


rOLTTAlRfA    AND    CANADA. 


» 

h 

bears  the  appearance  of  a  gentleman,  on  pnrpose  to 
show  how  much  they  consider  themselves  npon  an 
equality  with  him.  Civility  cannot  be  pm^chased 
from  them  on  any  terms  ;  tlu?y  seem  to  think  that  it 
is  incompatible  with  freedom,  and  that  there  is  no 
other  way  of  convincing  a  stranger  that  he  is  really 
in  a  land  of  liberty,  but  by  being  sulky  and  ill- 
mannered  in  his  presence."  ^ 

The  bad  manners  that  shocked  Mr.  Weld  were 
due  to  a  natural  cause  which  can  be  easily  under- 
stood by  recalling  what  took  place  in  France  when 
the  circumstances  were  similar.  Nothing  could 
surpass  the  cereraoniousness  and  high  breeding  of 
the  old  French  nobles,  who  delighted  in  exhibit- 
ing their  proficiency  in  paying  compliments  and 
displaying,  on  all  occasions,  an  exquisite  politeness. 
Their  dress  was  as  elaborate  as  their  phrases.  After 
the  Revolution,  it  was  considered  the  duty  of  good 
French  citizens  to  be  rough  in  manner,  rude  in 
speech  and  careless  in  dress,  the  object  being  to 
show  that  they  were  not  aristocrats.  For  a  like 
reason,  Jefferson  sedulously  avoided  doing  anything, 
as  President,  which  George  the  Third  would  do  as 
King.  The  King  of  Great  Britain  went  to  open 
Parliament  in  a  carriage  and  delivered  a  speech  ; 
President  Jefferson  sent  a  message  to  Congress, 
and,  when  he  visited  the  capitol,  he  rode  on  horse- 
back. If  the  King  had  ridden  on  horseback,  the 
President  would  have  driven  in  a  carrias:e.  Wash- 
ington  and  John  Adams  held  levees  modelled  upon 
those  of  monarchical  rulers ;  Jefferson  openly  dis- 
carded the  etiquette  which  savoured,  of  Old  World 

»  A'ol.  i.  p.  29. 


A    IJKTUO.SrECT   AM)    A    COMPAKISON. 


277 


customs.  Many  of  his  contemporaries  wore  aware 
tluit  this  was  a  mixture  of  iiypocrisy  and  affectation. 
One  of  them,  Mr.  Samuel  Breck,  who  was  well 
acquainted  witli  several  Presidents,  thus  refers  to 
liini  in  his  "  Recollections  :" — "  Tliat  levelling  phi- 
losopher, Jefferson,  was  the  first  President  who 
broke  down  all  decorum  and  put  himself  when 
abroad  upon  a  footing  with  the  plainest  farmer  of 
Virginia.  I  say  '  when  abroad,'  because  in  his 
family  he  lived  luxuriously  and  v/as  fastidious  in  the 
choice  of  his  company.  But  when  he  wanted  to 
catch  the  applause  of  the  vulgar — with  wiiom,  how- 
ever, he  was  too  proud  to  associate — he  would  ride 
out  without  a  servant,  and  hitch  his  pacing  nag  to 
the  railing  of  tiie  Presidential  palace."  The  peoj)le 
were  pleased  to  see  the  simple  manners  which  the 
great  man  assumed  to  flatter  them,  and  they  re- 
turned iii.-;  flattery  with  interest  by  copying  and 
exaggerating  his  example,  considering  a  stiulied 
unpoliteness  of  demeanour  an  unmistnkeable  token 
of  their  unbending  patriotism.  This  was  as  childish 
as  the  conduct  of  the  rabid  French  Republicans, 
who  demonstrated  that  tLey  were  very  dill'ei'ent 
persons  from  the  wicked  and  well-dressed  nobles 
whose  heads  they  had  cut  off,  l)y  Haunting  dirty 
shirts  and  bespattered  boots  when  they  condescended 
to  enter  a  drawing-room. 

Mr.  We^d  was  surprised  to  find  so  many  men  in 
the  United  States  with  military  titles  and  he  was 
still  more  surprised  to  see  "  such  numbei'S  of  them 
employed  in  .capacities  apparently  so  inconsistent 
with  their  i-ank  ;  for  it  is  nothing  uncommon  to  see 
a  captain  in  the  shape  of  a  waggoner,  a  colo!iel  the 
driver  of  a  stage  coach,  or  a  general  dealing  out 


:if'  n 


11 


^w 


II 


178 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


'^ 


penny  ribbon  behind  his  counter."  ^  Twenty  years 
previously,  the  IMarquis  do  Chastellux  remarked 
that,  "  notliinc^  is  more  common  in  America  than 
to  see  an  innkeeper  a  colonel;"  the  translator  of  his 
book  adds  that  he  had  stayed  three  days  in  Virginia 
at  an  inn  where  the  host  was  a  colonel,  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  the  parish  clerk.  The  liking  for  a 
title  of  some  sort  has  not  quite  died  out  in  the 
United  States.  Though  a  native  of  that  home  of 
democracy  is  taught  from  early  youth  to  regard  a 
title  of  nobility  with  aversion,  yet  he  shows  no 
repugnance  to  acquiring  or  ado])ting  the  rank  and 
style  of  colonel  or  general,  and,  if  a  plausible  excuse 
for  taking  either  be  wanting,  then  he  contents  him- 
self with  that  of  Judge.  The  number  of  citizens  who 
preRx  "  Honourable  "  to  their  names  is  larger  than 
in  any  country  with  which  I  am  acquainted. 
Hundreds  adorn  tlieir  waistcoats  with  badges,  show- 
ing that  they  are  freemasons  or  firemen.  Vanity 
of  this  kind  is  perfectly  harudess  ;  it  merely  denotes 
that  human  nature  is  the  same  in  the  great  Ile- 
pubiic  as  elsewhere.  It  is,  however,  equally  harm- 
less for  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  countries  Avhich 
United  States  citizens  are  accustomed  to  designate 
benighted,  to  wear  a  scrap  of  ribbon  in  a  button- 
hole, and  to  bear  the  title  of  baron  or  marquis,  duke 
or  prince. 

While,  on  the  one  hand,  the  patriotic  citizen  of  the 
Republic  is  wont  to  fancy  and  declare  that  no  good 
thing  can  come  out  of  a  country  in  which  the  chief 
magistrate  is  called  a  Sovereign,  on  the  other,  the 
uiu'etiectiug  subject  of  a  monarch  is  equally  ready 


;      ■  1 


'  Vol.  i.  p.  L'3G. 


A    RETROSPECT   AND   A   COMPARISON. 


279 


to  deny  that  any  good  thing  can  bo  found  in  a 
country  where  the  chief  magistrate  is  called  a  Presi- 
dent. A  hook  by  Mrs.  Trollope  wliich  was  welcomed 
by  tbo  Quarterhj  Bccivw  as  tliat  which  all  right- 
minded  persons  desired  to  see,  caused  a  manifestation 
of  pleasure  on  the  one  side  of  the  Atlantic  and  of  ill- 
humour  on  the  other  which  it  is  now  hard  to  under- 
stand or  account  for.  ]\Irs.  Trollope  was  firmly  con- 
vinced that  everything  must  be  out  of  joint  in  a  land 
witliout  a  hereditary  dynasty  and  an  established 
church  and  where  the  people  elected  their  civil  and 
si)iritual  rulers.  Sho  avowed  that  her  chief  object 
in  giving  publicity  to  her  conclusions  was  "  to 
encourage  her  countrymen  to  hold  fast  by  a  C'on- 
stitution  that  insures  all  the  blessings  wliich  flow 
from  established  habits  and  solid  principles.  If 
they  forego  these,  they  will  incur  the  fearful  risk  of 
breaking  up  their  repose  by  introducing  the  jarring 
tumult  and  universal  degradation  which  invariably 
follow"  the  wild  scheme  of  placing  all  the  power  of  the 
state  in  the  hands  of  the  populace."  ^  Wlien  Mrs. 
Trollope  went  to  the  United  States,  there  was  an  agi- 
tation in  her  native  land  about  a  reform  of  parlia- 
ment; sheevidently  thought  that  she  could  do  England 
a  service  by  depicting  the  hoi'rid  consequences  which 
liad  been  the  result  elsewhere  of  extending  the 
suffrage  and  of  taking  the  people  at  large  into  the 
entire  coniidence  of  their  governors.  Whatever 
she  did  not  like  throughout  the  Union,  from  tobacco- 
chewing  to  rudeness  in  a  hotel  or  stage  coach,  she 
attributed  to  the  political  constitution.  What  ap- 
peared to  her  at  once  remarkable  and  discreditable 


N 


"  DouK'btic  Maniiors  ol'  tho  AmeriL;viis."     Preface. 


\l 


2S0 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


was  the  exquisite  sensitiveness  and  soreness  of  the 
people  respecting  everything  said  or  written  con- 
cerning them.  She  took  care  to  furnish  occasion 
and  scope  for  the  display  of  a  trait  which  met  with 
her  disapproval.  Her  condemnation  of  the  entire 
people  was  as  sweeping  as  it  was  preposterous : 
"  I  do  not  like  them,  I  do  not  like  their  principles, 
I  do  not  like  their  manners,  I  do  not  like  their 
opinions."^  Mrs.  Trollope  could  not  like  them 
because  she  was  incapable  of  understanding  them, 
being  wholly  destitute  of  the  philosophic  tolerance 
and  insight  which  enables  a  person  to  perceive 
something  worthy  of  respect  m  tliat  for  which  pre- 
conceived notions  have  engendered  a  distaste.  She 
may  have  been  the  writer  of  whom  a  critic  once 
said  to  Sir  Charles  Lyell :  "  I  wonder  the  author 
went  so  far  to  see  disagreeable  people  when  there 
are  so  many  of  them  at  home."  "* 

About  the  time  that  Mrs.  Trollope,  after  having 
failed  in  a  business  speculation  at  Cincinnati,  made 
much  ado  about  trifles  of  etiquette  and  proclaimed 
the  system  of  government  in  the  Republic  a  political 
and  social  failure,  a  distinofuished  United  States 
man  of  letters  undertook  a  vindication  of  his 
country  and  countrymen.  It  is  difficult  to  decide 
whether  the  attack  of  Mrs.  Trollope,  or  the  defence 
of  Mr.  Fenimore  Cooper  merits  the  prize  for  folly 
and  unreason.  In  one  respect,  Cooper  was  entitled 
to  make  a  boast  which  no  country  but  his  own 
could  prefer  at  the  time  that  he  wrote.  He  said 
that  his  countrymen,  "  profiting  by  their  nearly 
unshackled     commerce,    import     everything     they 

^  Vol.  ii.  p.  295. 

♦  "  Travel*"  in  North  Anicrica, '  vol.  i.  p,  123. 


'^f  I 


A  itETKnsi'KCT  AND  A  roMrAiasox. 


281 


choose,  and  adopt,  or  rojcct  its  use  as  fancy  dic- 
tates. Almost  every  article  of  foreii::n  industry  can 
be  purchased  here  at  a  very  small  advance  on  the 
original  cost,  and  in  many  cases  even  cheaper."  * 
In  those  days,  the  United  States  could  teach  the 
backward  nations  of  Europe  a  lesson  as  to  the 
advantaofes  of  the  free  interchano'e  of  commodities. 

Mrs.  Trollope's  most  foolish  prejudices  against 
the  United  States  are  outdone  by  Cooper's  blind 
antipathy  to  Great  Britain ;  not  even  Mr.  George 
Bancroft  has  distanced  him  in  the  display  of  malice 
and  uncharitableness.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  alleijo 
that  the  British  Government  had  perpetrated  the 
incredible  and  superfluous  absurdity  of  emjdoying 
"  mercenary  pens  to  vituperate,  in  periodical 
journals  of  the  most  pretending  character,  a  people 
they  aifected  to  despise,  and  of  seeking  itinerant 
circulators  of  calumny,  who  journeyed,  or  pretended 
to  journey,  through  our  States,  in  order  to  discover 
and  expose  the  nakedness  of  the  land."^  In  thus 
writing.  Cooper  proved  his  utter  incaj^acity  for 
understandirg  the  conduct  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment at  any  time  and  on  any  subject,  and  placed 
himself  on  a  par,  as  a  critic,  with  the  French  re- 
publicans who  attributed  all  the  blame  of  their 
lailures  to  the  "  gold  of  Pitt."  Cooi)er  misunder- 
stood the  British  people  also,  saying  that  *'  a 
deep,  settled,  ignorant,  and,  I  think  an  increasing 
hostility,  to  the  people,  the  inhabitants,  and,  I  fear, 
to  the  hopes  of  the  United  States,  exists  in  the 
minds  of  the  vast  majority  of  the  middling  classes  " 
in  Great  Britain.'     If  he  had  written  that  the  vast 

•'  "  Notions  of  tlio  Aincrit';iiis,  by  a  Travcllini,'  IJaelK'lor,"  vol.  i. 
\).  IM.  "  Vol.  i.  p.oiy.  '   Vol.  i.  !>.  32S. 


:'  fill 


i:  II 

■!■  f  ! 

'  i'  i 

^  i 

!  ' 

'  I' 


nn  I J 


1 
IS'  /■ 


282 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


h  '!    ■ ! 


mrijority  of  the  middlu  class  betrayed  perfect  in- 
uifFerence  to  the  condition  and  future  of  liis  country, 
he  would  have  stated  a  fact  on  which  he  might 
have  based  a  rational  complaint.  Ignorance  of  the 
North  American  Continent  has  been  the  bane  of  the 
British  public  from  the  i-eign  of  (^ucimi  Elizabeth 
down  to  that  of  Queen  Victoria.  But  ignorance  is 
not  synonymous  with  malice,  nor  is  it  necessarily  a 
crime.  If  com})anionship  in  misfortnne  be  a  seda- 
tive or  an  excuse,  then  the  ignorance  of  the  citizens 
of  the  Republic  about  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
matches,  only  too  closely,  the  imperfect  knowledge 
and  the  erroneous  conclusions  of  many  inhabitants 
of  the  United  Kingdom  with  regard  to  the  United 
States. 

Cooper  had  an  overweening  opinion  of  his  country 
and  countrymen.  lie  had  never  seen  a  nation  "  so 
much  alike  as  the  people  of  the  United  States,  what 
is  more,  they  are  not  only  like  each  other,  but  they 
are  remarkably  like  what  common  sense  tells  them 
they  ought  to  resemble."  While  thus  thinking,  he 
deprecates  criticism  and  he  affirms,  with  something 
resembling  a  contradiction,  that  "  no  American  of 
any  character,  or  knowledge  of  his  own  country,  can 
feel  anything  but  commiseration  for  the  man  who 
has  attempted  to  throw  ridicule  on  a  nation  like 
this."  The  man  who  ridicules  what  is  praiseworthy 
condemns  himself.  But  the  best-intentioned  native 
of  Europe  is  in  a  frame  of  mind  Avhich,  according  to 
Cooper,  incapacitates  him  for  comprehending  the 
citizens  of  the  North  American  Republic ;  he  avers 
that "  an  European  can  scarcely  spare  sufficient  timo 
to  acquire  the  simplicity  of  habits,  may  I  also  say 
simplicity    of    thought,    necessary    to    estinuite  our 


■*.- 


A    laiTKOSPKCT    AND    A    COMPARISON. 


283 


country.""  Tlio  notion  that  citizens  of  the  Union 
arc  differently  constituted  from  tlio  rest  of  the 
liunian  species  may  now  be  ranked  among  exploded 
superstitions. 

Within  a  period  embracing  two  years  before  the 
a})i)earance  of  ^Irs.  TroUope's  book,  and  ten  years 
afterwards,  five  not(!worthy  books  of  travel  on 
the  North  American  Continent  were  published  in 
England.  The  soberest  and  best  was  jNfr.  James 
Stuart's  "  Three  Years  in  North  America."  Ho 
had  no  theories  to  uphold  or  upset ;  he  had  few 
marvels  to  tell ;  liis  narrative  was  plain  and 
sti'aightforward,  inspiring  confidence  by  its  sim- 
])licity  and  candour.  TMie  most  brilliant  were  two 
from  the  pen  of  Miss  Martineau,  "  Society  in 
America,"  and  "  A  Retrospect  of  AVestern  Ti'avel." 
ller  weakness,  if  weakness  can  be  attributed  to  so 
masculine  a  writer,  was  to  be  as  much  too  emphatic 
on  the  one  side  as  Mrs.  Trollope  was  on  the  other. 
J\[iss  ]\rartineau  set  great  store  on  the  mere  forms  of 
llepublicanism,  just  as  Mrs.  Trollope  had  overvalued 
the  symbols  and  trappings  of  Monarchy.  The  dog- 
matic statement  of  the  former  that  "  Freemasonry  is 
purely  miscliievous  in  a  Jiepublic,"'  is  an  example  of 
this.  Another  is  her  objection  to  the  Military  Aca- 
demy at  AVest  Point,'  on  the  apparent  ground  that, 
in  a  Ilepublic,  army  officers  are  born  ready  trained, 
a  belief  which  was  very  common  during  the  civil 
war;  another  is  her  denunciation  of  the  appointment 
of  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  for  life,  as  being  a 
"  departure  from  the  absolute  Republican  principle."  ^ 

*  Vol   i.  p.  83.S.  »  "  Society  in  America,"  vol.  i.  p.  30. 

'   "  IJetrospoct  of  Western  Travcl,"\-ol.  i.  p.  Ul. 
'  "  Society,"  vol.  i.  }).  oj. 


r 

!!;  h . 


^:    III 


28-1. 


COUI.MniA    AM)   CAXADA. 


m 


WlicMi  sho  visited  tlio  Orphan  House  at  Charles- 
ton, she  was  "  surfjrised  to  see  tlie  chiklroii  l)ad<(e(l, 
ail  anti-llepubhcaii  practice  which  had  better  bo 
abolisiied."  Tlio  first  of  these  o})inions  is  typical 
and  serves  to  gauge  the  vahie  of  tlie  others.  Miss 
Alartineau  knew  nothing  about  Freemasonry,  yet 
she  did  not  hesitate  to  pass  judgment  upon  it.  IShe 
viewed  with  peculiar  and  singular  satisfaction,  the 
system  of  "rotation  in  olHce,"  and  she  would  chei-ish 
as  the  corner-stone  of  the  lle])ubliG  what  in  reality 
has  been  the  stumbling-block  in  the  path  of  its 
statesmen. 

Miss  jMartineau,  though  sometimes  foolishly  un- 
compromising and  dogui.itic,  had  carefully  studied 
her  subject.     Besides,  sho  was  far  too   sensible  to 
pass  a  sweeping  condemnation  on  a  country  merely 
because  she   saw  in  it  some  trivial  blemish  or  acci- 
dental peculiarity.     Kot  so  was  it  in   the  case  of 
Captain  Basil  Hall,  who  preceded  her,  or  of  Captain 
Hamilton    and    Captain    Marryat,  who    visited   tho 
same  country  after  her.     The  first  of  them  has  made 
a  name  as  a  writer  of  interesting  books  of  travel; 
the  two  others  have  produced  excellent  works  of 
fiction.     Captain  Hamilton  said  some  shrewd  things 
in  his   "Men  and  Mannei's  in   America;"  he  also 
intimated  he  had    arrived   at    the    conclusion    that 
"the  insuperable    prejudice    against  the    claims   of 
primogeniture  [in  the  United  States]  is  unfavourable 
to  national  advancement."  ^     A  statement-  like  this 
shows  an  absolute  incapacity  to  estimate  the  social 
condition  of  that  country. 

Both  Captain   Basil  Hall    and   Captain   Marryafc 


"  Men  and  ManiiLTS  in  America,"  vol.  i.  i).  yOi\ 


A  RF.TTjnsri:rT  axp  a  coMrAnisoN". 


were  notable  s|)(>cimens  of  a  school  of  naval  ofHcerH 
which  is  now  extinct.     They  had  received  a  libei-al 
education,  had  seen  mnch  service  and  many  lands, 
had  kept  their  (>yes  o])en  when  afloat  and  on   sliorc*, 
and  had  the  gift  of  nsmg  their  pens  deftly.     Both  oi' 
them  went  to  the  United  Staters  ins})ired  by  curiosity 
about  the  Republic  of  which  they  had  heard  contra- 
dictory accounts,  and  di  sirous  of  connnunicatinijf  the 
true  fiicts  of  the  case  to  their  countrymen.     Captain 
Hall    avers   that    seldom    did   a    traveller  visit.    '  a 
foreign  land  in  a  more  kindly  s])irit  "  than  that  which 
animated  him  when  he  disend^arked  at  Nev    York. 
But  a  spirit  of  bitterness  quickly  succeeded  one  of 
good  feeling,     fie  saw  many  thir.gs  that  disph^scd, 
and  hi;:ird  much  that  annoyed  him  :  he  grew  tired  of 
having   to    return   daily   answers    to   the   {]uestion 
"  What  do  you  think  of  us  upon  the  whole?  "  while 
he  was  mortified    at  witnessing  the  dissatisfaction 
which  was  shown  when  his  reply  was  not  one  of 
unqualified  praise.     Entering  a  court  of  law,  he  was 
astounded  to  see  a  chief  justice  seated  on  the  bench 
without  a  gown  enveloping  his  person  and  a  wig 
covering  his  head.     This  was  the  first  thing  he  saw 
which  made  him  "  distrust  the  wisdom  with   which 
the  Americans  had  stripped  away  so  much  of  Avhat 
had  been  held  sacred  so  long."     Just  as  Mart  in  us 
Scriblerus  could  not  think  of  the  Lord  Mayor  other- 
wise than  clad  in  his  fur  gown  and  decked  with  his 
gold  chain,  so  this  experienced  but  simple-minded 
sailor  was  unable  to  imagine  that  justice  could  bo 
administered,  or  the  law  expounded  by  a  judgc^  in 
plain  clothes. 

When    Captain    Hall   sailed   up  the  Hudson,  he 
gazed  on  the  country  seats  of  the  old  patroons  upon  its 


i  - 
i-  I 


n 


wm 


mm 


28G 


COLUilBIA   AND    CANADA. 


11 


bank,  and  mourned  over  the  fact  that  there  the  ancient 
aristocracy  is  withering  away,  as  everywhere  else  in 
the  country,  "  to  the  great  exultation  of  the  people, 
before  the  blighting  tempest  of  Democracy."  *  What 
vexed  him  above  all  Avas  to  hear  the  people  con- 
stantly "  praise  themselves,  tlieir   institutions,  and 
their  country,  either  in  downright  terms,  or  by  some 
would-be  indirect  allusions,  which  Avere  still  more 
tormenting."      Equally  unbearable  was  "  a  solemn 
sort  of  enigmatical  assumption,"  on  their  part,  "  of 
the  intricacy  and  transcendent  grandeur  of  tlie  whole 
system  not  to  be  comprehended  by  weak  European 
minds."     He    tried    hard,   indeed,    to    see    things 
through    other    people's    spectacles,   but    he    failed 
utterly.     "  In  spite  of  my  own  best  wishes,  encou- 
rnged  by  the  ardent  persuasion  of  the  Americans,  I 
found  all  parts  of  the  country  very  much  alike.     I 
could  never  in  any  place  discover  for  myself,  or  ]iear 
upon    good    authority,    anything   of    that    peculiar 
intelligence,  of    that    peculiar    high-mindedncss,   so 
much   insisted   on  by  American  writers,  and  rung 
into  my  ears   by  almost  every  person   I  met  witli 
from  eml   to  end  of    the   continent."  ^      Even   tlie 
country  did  not   find  favour  in    his  fastidious  eyes  : 
"  A  more  unpicturesque  country  is   not  to  be  found 
elsewhere,"  is  his  sweeping  and  damnatory  verdict. 
He  was  shocked  at  the  prevalence  of  di'am  di-inking, 
■which  he  considers  to  be  the  concomitant  of  demo- 
cracy, and,   in   his   opinion,   "  is  probably   not  less 
hurtful   to    health    of   body,    than    that    system    of 
Government  appears  to  be  to  the  intellectual  powers 
of  the  mind."  "     If  he  had  travelled  in  Russia,  he 

*  "Travels  in  North  America,"  vol.  i.  p.  17 
Vol.  ii.  p.  72.  «  Vol.  ii.  p.  8-i. 


A    RETROSPECT   AND   A    COMPARISON. 


2S7 


would  liavc  foiuid  abundance  of  dram  drinking  and 
despotism,  and  might  then  have  learned  that  demo- 
cracy is  not  singular  in  being  associated  witli  ardent 
spirits.  These  ai^e  a  few  of  his  objections  and  sam- 
ples of  his  criticism.  Ho  was  no  more  successful  as 
a  prophet  than  as  a  critic,  for  he  pronounced  a  pro- 
jected railway  between  Boston  and  Albany  to  be  "  a 
visionary  project."  If  I  had  been  in  doubt  as  to  his 
qualification  for  deciding  upon  the  merits  of  the 
United  States  Constitution,  I  should  have  doubted 
no  longer  after  reading  that,  in  his  opinion,  the 
House  of  Commons,  as  constituted  before  the  first 
Reform  Bill  became  law,  "  could  not  possibly  bo 
made  better."  ^ 

Captain  Marryat  aimed  at  a  still  higher  flight 
than  Captain  Hall.  He  states  in  the  introduction 
to  the  six  volumes  of  his  "  Diary,"  that  his 
"  remarks  will  be  based  on  an  analysis  of  human 
nature  ;  "  that  his  object  has  been  "  to  examine  and 
ascertain  what  were  the  effects  of  a  Democratic 
form  of  government,  and  climate,  upon  a  peo[)lo 
which,  with  all  its  foreign  admixture,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  English."  Upon  one  point,  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  :  "  Democracy  is  the  form  of  govern- 
ment best  suited  to  the  present  condition  of 
America."  Instead  of  the  annlysis  promised  in  the 
introduction,  many  petty  details,  not  worth  re- 
tailing, are  supplied  in  the  text ;  such  as  how  two 
girls  bartered  their  bonnets,  how  a  tailor  of  Cin- 
cinnati refused  to  come  and  take  his  measure  for  a 
coat,  alleging  that  it  was  anti-republican  to  wait  on 
a  customer,  while  there  is  a  surfeit  of  the  super- 


I! 


i!l^ 


.  ■:• 


M  I 


|.  j 

■  u  \ 

- 1 


'  Vol.  iii.  p.  412. 


288 


rOLUMDIA   AND   CANADA. 


', 


'i     '  ! 


■"  ' 


fluous  matter  to  be  found  in  the  least  pli'losopliical 
books  about  tlie  United  States,  to  the  effect  that 
the  citizens  eat  too  quickly  and  drink  too  often. 
Assertions  abound  in  which  no  analytical  character 
can  be  detected ;  such  as  :  "  There  never  was,  nor 
ever  will  be,  anything  like  liberality  under  a 
Democratic  form  of  government ;  "  "  Slander  and 
defamation  flourish  under  a  Democracy." 

One  of  the  greatest  evils,  according  to  Captain 
Marryat,  is  the  absence  of  an  Established  Church, 
the  effects  of  an  Established  Church  being,  '"  to 
cement  the  mass,  cement  society  and  communities, 
and  increase  the  force  of  those  natural  ties  by  which 
fiimilies  and  relations  are  bound  together."  He 
bewails  the  lamentable  fact  that  the  people  choose 
their  rulers  and  their  clergymen,  thus  controlling 
the  Government  and  fetterins;  relio-ion  :  "  Add  to 
this  the  demoralizing  effects  of  a  Democracy  which 
turns  the  thoughts  of  all  men  to  mammon,  and 
it  will  be  acknowledged  that  this  rapid  fall  is  not  so 
very  surprising."^  Mammon,  Mke  Bacchus,  has 
plenty  of  worshippers  in  countries  w^here  the  people 
are  powerless  alike  over  the  State  and  the  Church. 
However,  Captain  IMarryat  does  not  bhime  Demo- 
cracy for  all  that  he  dislikes  and  denounces  in  the 
United  States ;  he  says  that  the  climate  is  partly  in 
fault ;  if  the  climate  be  to  blame,  then  some  re- 
sponsibility is  taken  off  the  citizens  of  the  Republic. 
His  views  about  the  people,  which  arc  neither  philo- 
sophical nor  complimentary,  he  sums  up  as  follows : 
*'  The  character  '^f  the  Americans  is  that  of  a  rest- 
less, uneasy  people — they  cannot  sit  still,  they  can- 


"  A  Diary  in  America,"  vol.  ill.  pp.  15,  92,  157. 


tmm 


~ 


A    llETBOSl'ECT    AND    A    CO:\irAKISOX. 


289 


not  listen  attentively,  unless  the  tlieme  be  politics 
or  dollars — they  must  do  something,  and,  like 
children,  if  they  cannot  do  anything  else,  they  will 
do  mischief — their  curiosity  is  unbounded,  and  they 
are  very  capricious.  Acting  upon  impulse,  they  are 
very  generous  at  one  moment,  and  without  a  spark 
of  charity  the  next.  They  are  good-tempered,  and 
possess  great  energy,  ingenuity,  bravery,  and  pre- 
sence of  mind.  Such  is  the  estimate  I  have  formed 
of  their  general  character,  independent  of  the 
demoralizing  effects  of  their  institutions,  which 
renders  it  so  anomalous."^  More  extraordinary 
tlian  all  his  censure  is  some  of  his  praise.  Ho 
attributes,  the  "  fair  distribution  of  good  looks 
among  the  women,"  to  the  political  and  social 
condition  of  the  country.  The  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  has  been  often  eulogized :  Captain 
Marryat  is  the  only  person  ^v^ho  has  given  it  the 
credit  of  rendering  women  beautiful,  and  upholding 
the  supremacy  of  the  better  sex.  He  says  that  the 
men  ought  to  be  proud  of  the  women,  "  for  they  are 
really  good  wives — much  too  good  for  them."  Yet 
these  women  are  not  quite  perfect :  "  They  do  not 
modulate  their  voices."  Here  Captain  Marryat  is  at 
variance  with  Fenimore  Cooper,  who  says :  "  The 
voices  of  the  American  females  are  particularly  i^oft 
and  silvery  ;  and  I  think  the  language,  a  harsh  one 
at  best,  is  made  softer  by  our  women,  especially  of 
the  middle  and  southern  states,  than  you  often  hoar 
it  in  Europe."^  Other  drawbacks  were  detected  by 
Captain  Marryat,  who  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
these  women  "  have  a  remarkable  apathy  as  to  the 

•  Vol.  ii.  p.  120. 

'  "  Notions  ol'ii  Tnivcllins?  Bachelor,"  vol.  ii.  p.  133. 

U 


It 


I:'  I 


I'ii 


liH 


It 


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fm 


200 


COLUMBIA    AND    CANADA. 


I   t 


;  • 


I,      ( 


sufferings  of  otlicrs,  an  indifference  to  loss  of  life,  a 
fondness  for  politics,  all  of  Avliich  are  unfeminine ; 
and  lastly,  a  passion  for  dress  carried  to  too  <,reat 
an  extent."  On  tlie  other  hand,  and  by  way  of  set- 
off, "  they  have  a  virtue  which  tlie  men  have  not, 
which  is  moral  courage,  and  one  also  wliicli  is  not 
common  with  the  sex,  pliysical  courage."^ 

Captain  Marryat  saw  little  to  applaud,  and  mucli 
to  deplore.  The  wonder  is  that  he  should  say  any- 
thing complimentary,  seeing  that,  in  his  opinion  : 
"  The  standard  of  morality  in  America  is  lower  than 
in  any  other  portion  of  the  civilized  globe."  This 
is  a  hard  saying,  but  not  harder,  or  more  reckless, 
than  the  following :  "  There  is  no  character  so 
devoid  of  principle  as  the  British  soldier  and 
sailor."  Utterances  of  thi^  empliatic  and  random 
kind  do  not  inspire  confidence  in  the  writer's  judg- 
ment, nor  do  they  prepare  the  reader  to  look  with 
favour  on  the  writer's  panacea  for  the  ills  which  he 
records,  a  panacea  which  I  give  without  comment : 
"  The  greatest  socurity  for  the  duration  of  the 
present  institutions  of  the  United  States  is  the 
establishment  of  an  aristocracy."  Captain  IMarryat 
begins  his  Diary  by  stating  that  his  r'  aiarks  are 
to  be  based  on  an  analysis  of  liuman  nature ;  he 
ends  it  with  the  avowal  that  his  object  has  been  to 
"  poin<"  out  the  effects  of  a  Democracy  upon  the 
morals,  tlie  happiness,  and  the  due  apportionment 
of  liberty  to  all  classes."  His  concluding  words 
are  :  "  If  I  have  any  way  assisted  the  cause  of  Con- 
servatism, I  am  content."  This  cause  has  been 
greatly  injured    by   the    ill-timed   help   of  such   a 


Vol.  ii.  Second  Sories,  p.  17. 


A    KETIIOSI'LCT   AND    A    COMPAiafiOX. 


291 


ith 

lie 
mi : 

the 

the 

•yat 

are 

he 

11  to 
tlio 
icnt 

ords 
on- 
eeii 
h   a 


misjudging  supporter  as  Captain  Marryat.  Tlio 
indisputable  acliieveinent  of  Captain  Basil  Hall  ;ind 
liimself  "was  to  deepen  tlie  worst  prejudices  of  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  towards  Englishmen, 
to  increase  international  misconceptions,  and  to 
throw  obstacles  in  the  path  of  the  good  and  un- 
biassed men  and  women  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic  who  were  striving  to  substitute  amity  for 
nndiscerning  rancour,  and  kindliness  for  distrust 
and  jealousy. 

AVhile  Captain  Hamilton  and  Mrs.  Trollope, Captain 
Hall  and  Captain  Marryat  were  actively  era})loye(l 
in  demonstrating  to  all  intelligent  readers  their 
ntter  incompetence  to  pass  judgment  on  the  North 
American  Republic,  De  Tocqueville  was  engaged  in 
preparing  the  book  which  entitled  liiin  to  be  ranked 
with  Montesquieu.  Democracy  in  xiincrica,  like  the 
Spirit  of  Lairs,  has  many  faults  ;  the  generalizations 
frequently  betray  an  imperfect  apprehension  of 
facts  ;  the  appreciation  of  the  social  forces  uliieli 
have  caused  the  results  under  discussion  is  citlier 
defective,  or  wanting  altogether ;  the  predictions  of 
what  the  future  will  bring  forth  have  been  signnJly 
falsified  by  events,  and  they  now  seem  to  the  most 
sympathetic  reader  to  be  ladicronsl}^  absurd.  What 
has  given  De  Tocqueville  a  deserved  and  undying 
fame  is  not  so  much  the  views  which  ho  lias 
eminciated,  or  even  the  excpiisite  style  in  which  he 
lias  set  forth  his  thoughts  and  facts,  as  the 
admirable  and  thoroughly  philosophic  s|)ii'it  in 
which  his  pen  has  done  its  work.  11  (>  did  not  visit 
the  United  States,  like  some  of  his  countrymen,  to 
find  the  realization  of  a  beautiful  dream,  nor  like 
many  of  mine   to  find  clap-trap  I'.rguments  in  con- 

u  2 


^.1 


si 


mmt 


292 


COLUMHIA    AND    CANADA. 


X  i 


'X 


iX4i 


(lemnation  of  free  government,  but  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  quality  of  the  fruit  yiehled  by  fjur 
freedom's  tree,  and  to  give  a  faithful  report  of  his 
investigation.  He  states  his  case  and  distributes 
praise  or  blame  with  the  laudable  impartiality  of 
a  righteous  judge,  who  has  listened  with  patience 
and  digested  with  care  the  arguments  on  both  sides 
of  a  given  question.  The  decision  which  he  pro- 
nounces is  unalloyed  either  by  mocking  temper  or 
despicable  bias.  The  undiscerning  partisan  of 
Democracy,  who  fancies  that  the  multitude  are 
gifted  with  supreme  wisdom,  can  turn  to  the  pages 
of  De  Tocqueville  for  a  corroboration  of  his  faith  in 
the  divinity  of  numbers ;  Sir  Robert  Peel  recom- 
mended the  masterpiece  of  the  great  Frenchman  to 
the  electors  of  Tamworth  as  the  authority  from 
which  irrefragable  facts  could  be  drawn  about  tlio 
intolerable  tyranny  of  the  majority  where  the  people 
exercise  unlimited  sway.  Charged  with  being  a 
revolutionist  by  the  upholders  of  the  divine  right 
of  bad  rulers,  and  with  being  an  aristocrat  of  the 
worst  type  by  unappeasable  demagogues,  De  Tocque- 
ville really  belonged  to  the  select  band  of  philo- 
sophic politicians  vdiicli  is  repelled  by  the  dogmatic 
assumptions  of  the  prejudiced,  and  the  idle  shibbo- 
leths of  the  ignorant,  which  dreads  nothing  so 
much  as  a  political  cataclysm  and  loves  nothing 
more  ardently  than  orderly  political  improvement. 

The  work  of  De  Tocqueville  on  the  United  States 
forms  an  era  in  the  literature  of  travel  in  that 
country.  Before  he  wrote,  men  and  women  thought 
it  no  shame  to  indite  meaningless  diatribes  against 
what  displeased  them  there,  and  to  give  the  name  of 
books  of  travel  to  mere   party  pamphlets.     Many 


tmmm 


A    KETROSPECT    AND   A    COMPARISON. 


293 


silly  books  wevG  written  by  persons  who  thought 
they  had  a  mission  to  make  fun  of  the  Yankees,  and 
who  had  been  sent  into  the  world  by  an  over-ruling 
Providence  to  compete  with  equally  silly  persons 
who  came  from  the  United  States  in  order  to  give 
fantastic  accounts  about  the  British  Isles.  "While  as 
regards  breadth  of  view,  keenness  of  insiglit,  ad- 
mii-ation  of  what  is  praiseworthy,  ap})reciation  ot 
all  that  is  noteworthy  and  noble  in  tlie  constitution, 
the  customs  and  the  character  of  the  British  people, 
]\Ir.  Emerson  showed  himself  as  i)hilosophic  in 
judging  one  side  of  the  Atlantic,  as  De  Tocpieville 
the  other ;  and  while  ITawthorne,  the  exquisite 
novelist,  followed  in  Mr.  Emerson's  steps  without 
rivalling  his  performance,  other  writers  showed  that 
malevolence  and  stupidity  are  not  the  growths  of 
British  soil  exclusively.  A  single  sample  of  this  will 
suffice.  Not  even  Mrs.  Trollope  at  her  worst  ever  said 
anything  more  ridiculous  than  the  following  in  Mr. 
Ward's  Ev(jlit<h  Ifeiiix,  or  Mifrosrojni'.  Vu'n\s  of  Eikj- 
land  ami  English  mm.  Discussing  the  unpleasant 
topic  of  expectoration,  he  says:  "I  contend  that  it 
is  superlatively  disgusting  to  the  English  merely  be- 
cause it  is  an  American  habit.  Hating  us  with  an 
intensity  that  helpless  vi\go  can  only  know,  it  is 
their  highest  delitrht  to  cavil  at  us,  and  findinof 
nothing  more  serious  to  object  to,  cur  earliest 
traducers  seized  upon  this,  and  each  hireling  caterer 
to  the  morbid  feeling  against  America  in  England 
attempts  a  facetious  'improvement  on  the  stereu- 
typed  jokes  of  his  predecessors." 

Passing  over  the  books  which  are  simply  non- 
sensical, the  number  of  those  which  repaid  perusal 
when    they  appeared    and  which    still   instruct   the 


:, 


'I  V 


i  ' ' 


^MW 


'JOl 


COLUMIUA    AND    PAXAPA. 


i^ 


student  of  history,  is  very  larf^o.  Amont^  tlicm 
ni.iy  1)0  cited  Dr.  Clira-les  Mackay's  Jji'/r  mid 
Liberty  In  Amcrirn,  a  genial  narrative  of  interest- 
ing experiences  :  if  the  author  had  not  revisited  the 
country  at  a  critical  time,  and  misinterpreted  tlie 
problem  wliich  was  then  in  process  of  solution,  his 
reputation  as  a  judicious  observer  would  have  been 
greater  than  it  is.  Mr.  Sala,  a  brilliant  and 
kindly  writer,  would  have  rendered  his  Diari/  in  flm 
Miiht  of  Wiir  still  more  notable  by  a  sympathy 
with  the  cause  which  was  certain  to  prevail.  In  his 
ClvUhed  America,  Mr.  Grattan  gave  much  useful 
information,  the  result  of  twenty  years'  sojourn  in 
Boston  as  British  Consul ;  unfortunately,  however, 
he  judged  the  social  arrangements  too  frequently  by 
a  standard  taken  from  his  previous  residence  on  the 
continent  of  Europe.  Mr.  Chester,  in  his  Trans- 
atlantic SJi-dches,  gave  expression  to  the  remark- 
able discovery  that  a  good  choral  service  for  the 
cadets  at  West  Point  would  go  far  to  remedy  what 
he  considered  amiss  in  the  Republic.  Mr.  Hose,  a 
writer  of  talent,  led  the  readers  of  his  (Jrrat 
Cauntrij  to  suppose  that  the  Roman  Cathohc 
churches  and  congregations  tlierc  chiefly  deserved 
commendation.  Mr.  Hilary  Skinner,  whose  Afti'r 
the  Storm  is  a  lively  and  intelligent  picture  of  the 
United  States  at  the  close  of  the  Great  Civil  War, 
merits  a  place  of  honour  among  the  travellers  who 
have  crossed  the  Atlantic.  Sir  Charles  Dilke,  in  his 
Greater  Britain,  passed  judgment  on  the  United 
States  with  an  acuteness  of  perception  and  a 
sympathy  with  what  ought  to  be  held  in  respect, 
which  are  rare  in  those  persons  who  have  criticized 
and  commented  on  the  North  American  Republic. 


A    RETIIOSPECT   AND   A   COMrAKISON. 


20^ 


I  have  reserved  for  separate  mention  the  books 
of  travel  by  two  novelists,  one  of  whom  is  fore- 
most among  the  greatest  of  modern  times.  The 
American.  N'otcs,  of  Dickens,  displeased  many 
persons  in  the  United  States.  In  this  case  the 
fault  was  in  the  reader.  The  book  was  unpre- 
tentious ;  not  a  word  in  it  had  been  set  down  in 
unkindness,  though  several  passages  were  the 
reverse  of  flattering.  It  contained  a  good  deal  of 
exaggeration  verging  on  caricature ;  but  this  was 
the  manner  in  which  Dickens  dealt  with  home  as 
well  as  foreign  topics.  Any  one  who  calmly  peruses 
it  now  in  a  proper  spirit  will  wonder  that  it  was 
ever  the  subject  of  bitter  animadversion.  The  truth 
is  that  another  kind  of  book  was  expected  from  the 
pen  of  the  great  novelist.  Far  more  unpalatable 
things  set  forth  in  Murtin  Chiiz'Jrvif^  gave  less 
annoyance,  or  rather  caused  less  disappointment. 
His  real  triumph  is  to  have  secured  more  admirers 
in  the  United  States  than  in  any  other  Enghsli- 
speaking  land,  a  triumph  which  is  equally  creditable 
to  both  parties. 

Mr.  Anthony  TroUope  is  a  po])ular  living  novelist. 
He  has  successfully  competed  with  his  mother  as  a 
writer  of  fiction  and  of  books  of  travel.  One  of  tlie 
latter,  entitled  North.  Amcricd,  cannot  be  classed 
among  his  best  productions.  Writing  in  18Gi!,  Mr. 
TroUope  failed  to  forecast  the  issue  of  the  deadly 
struggle  between  freedom  and  autocracy,  between 
the  partisans  of  the  equality  of  all  men  before  the 
]aw  and  the  upholders  of  the  inequality  of  negroes. 
He  disbelieved  in  a  result  which  was  inevital)le,  and 
dreaded  a  conclusion  which  no  sensible  on-looker 
could  regret.     As  a  critic,  Mr.  TroUope  was  fur  less 


!      I 


'I 


iiii 


290 


COF-UMDIA    AND    CANADA. 


biassed  than  his  mother;  lie  had  no  pecuniary  failure 
to  ascribe  to  tlie  people  of  the  Republic ;  he  had  sur- 
vived the  Reform  Bill  and  learned  that  anarchy  is  not 
the  sure  consequence  of  extending  the  suffrage  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  Yet  the  aversions  to  which  he  gives 
frank  utterance  resemble  those  of  his  mother :  *'  I 
dislike  universal  suffrage  ;  I  dislike  vote  by  ballot ; 
I  dislike  above  all  things  the  tyranny  of  demo- 
cracy." ^  Since  he  wrote  these  words,  he  has  seen 
the  suffrage  made  nearly  universal  at  home  ;  he  has 
seen  the  ballot  become  the  law  of  the  land,  and  he 
has  not  perceived  any  diminution  of  the  happiness 
of  the  people  or  failure  to  appreciate  his  excellent 
novels.  It  is  undeniable  that  he  had  a  reason  to 
complain  of  the  tone  which  prevailed  among  some 
of  the  people  with  whom  he  associated.  They  told 
him  certain  things  which  were  at  once  extraordinary 
and  distasteful,  such  as :  "  That  Wellington  was 
beaten  at  Waterloo ;  that  Lord  Palmerston  was  so 
unpopular  that  he  could  not  walk  alone  in  the 
streets;  that  the  House  of  Commons  was  an  acknow- 
ledged failure  ;  that  starvation  was  the  normal  con- 
dition of  the  British  people,  and  that  the  Queen  was 
a  bloodthirsty  tyrant."  *  However,  these  tokens  of 
perverse  ignorance  ought  not  to  have  been  presented 
as  proofs  of  ill-feeling.  Mr.  Trollope  is  rather 
exacting.  He  passes  summary  and  unqualified  con- 
demnation on  the  hotels  of  the  United  States ;  he  is 
as  ruthless  in  judging  the  newspaper  press,  saying  : 
"  In  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  the  United 
States  there  is  not  published  a  single  newspaper 
which  seems  to  me  to  be  worthy  of  praise.  .  .  They 


»  "  North  Amoi-iea,"  vol.  ii.  \k  109. 


Vol.  ii.  p.  174. 


■gtwjggg; 


I 


A    HKTUOSVECT    AND   A    OIMPAIMSON. 


297 


are  ill-written,  ill-printod,  ill-arrfingod,  and,  in  fact, 
are  not  readable."  •'  Wliilo  difficult  to  please  abroad, 
ho  is  not  more  easily  satisfied  at  home ;  for,  in  liis 
opinion,  "  a  really  good  newspaper.  ...  is  still  to 
be  desired  in  Great  Britain."  "  Pie  affirms  that  he 
has  "  ever  admired  the  United  States  as  a  nation." 
That  nation  might  reasonably  pray  to  be  spared  the 
irritation  of  his  candid  friendship. 

Sir  Charles  Lyell,  whose  travels  on  the  Continent 
of  North  America  belong  to  a  class  apart,  remarks 
that :  "As  politicians,  no  people  are  so  prone  to  give 
way  to  groundless  fears  and  despondency  res])ecting 
the  prospect  of  affiiirs  in  America  as  the  English, 
partly  because  they  know  little  of  the  conditions  of 
society  there,  and  partly  from  their  own  well- 
founded  conviction,  that  a  near  approach  to  uni- 
versal suffrage  at  home  would  lead  to  anarchy  and 
insecurity  of  property." '  A  corresponding  mis- 
placed commiseration  was  manifested  in  the  United 
States  towards  England  at  an  earlier  day.  Writing 
in  1788,  Dr.  Noah  Webster  observes,  "  I  am  sensible 
that  the  Americans  are  much  concerned  for  the 
liberties  of  the  British,  nation;  and  the  Act  for 
making  ParliamentvS  Septennial  is  often  mentioned, 
as  an  arbitrary,  oppressive  Act,  destructive  of  Eng- 
lish liberty.  .  .  I  wish  my  countrymen  would  believe 
that  other  nations  understand  and  can  guard 
their  privileges,  without  any  lamentable  outcries 
from  this  side  of  the  Atlantic."  ^  The  people  on 
both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  have  upheld  their  liberties 
despite  all  the  gloomy  forebodings  and  sinister  pre- 

»  Vol.  ii.  pp.  423,  427  •  Vol.  ii.  pp.  424,  425. 

'  "  Travels  in  North  America,"  First  Series,  vol.  i.  p.  227. 
'  "  Essays  and  Fugitive  Writings,"  p.  UO. 


I      i 


,'l,     : 


i    < 


'■  ) 

I'f  i 

< 

8, 

1;?     ,; 
!i 

u 

'i 

298 


COLCMDIA    AND    CANADA. 


dictions  of  (listi'jictc'd  and  ft'oble-niiuded  critics.  Sir 
(/hiirles  Lyoll  liad  the  aciitorioss  to  perceive  certain 
mistakes  of  his  conntiynien,  but  ho  was  not  able  to 
avoid  all  their  errors.  Twenty  years  have  elapsed 
since  his  words  were  penned  ;  during  that  period  the 
suffriige  has  been  extended  to  a  de<^r(>e  wliieli  he 
thought  perilous,  still  there  are  no  signs  of  the 
anarchy  which  ho  foresaw  or  of  the  general  spolia- 
tion which  he  considered  inevitable.  It  is  true, 
however,  that  some  persons  are  still  prone  to  fancy 
the  North  American  Republic  to  be  in  imminent 
peril  from  a  bugbear  of  their  imaginations.  At  one 
moment,  they  say  that  the  decisive  hour  has  arrived 
because  a  civil  war  lias  broken  out;  at  another,  they 
see  a  crisis  pregnant  with  woe  and  destruction, 
because  the  result  of  a  presidential  election  is  in  dis- 
pute.  Yet  the  Constitutions  of  the  United  Kingdom 
and  the  United  States  survive  the  jeers  of  detractors 
and  the  faint-hearted  support  of  timorous  friends, 
being  fraught  with  the  strength  which  can  with- 
stand a  shock  and  the  vitality  which  survives  a 
disaster. 


Republican  institutions  arc  commonly  supposed 
to  be  inefficient,  nnstable,  and  short-lived.  Such  is 
the  conclusion  at  which  many  persons  have  arrived 
after  reading  about  the  Republics  of  ancient  Greece 
and  Rome,  and  of  Italy  during  the  ]\Iiddle  Ages.  It 
was  generally  supposed,  at  the  establishment  of  the 
Republic  in  North  America,  that  the  blunders  and 
shortcomings  of  the  Republics  of  antiquity  would  bo 
repeated,  that  liberty  would  soon  be  succeeded  by 
licence,  and  that  licence  would  be  crushed  along 
with   liberty,  under    the   heel   of   a  tyrant.      This 


A  HKinnsrHCT  A\n  a  comi'AIM.son. 


20!) 


cxppctation  was  strcngthcMUMl  l)y  what  orourrod  h\ 
Europe  a  few  years  later;  then  it  was  coiifidcMitly 
])re(lict(Ml  that  the  Revolution  in  Fra!ico  was  an 
ensample  of  the  drama  which  would  speedily  \n) 
playe<l  ou  tlu'  American  Continent,  and  tho  natural 
])r('lu(le  lo  it. 

The  cause  of  fi'co  and  beneficent  government  in 
Europe  has  sustained  givater  detriment  from  the  so- 
called  Republican  Administrations  in  France  tlian 
fi'om  any  other  events  in  modern  histoiy  Kach  has 
l)een  a  screaming  farce  in  the  opinion  of  tho  cynic, 
and  a  mournful  tragedy  in  the  o])inion  of  the  ])hil<)- 
sopher.  The  first  was  the  most  tragic  and  inde- 
fensible; it  was  a  carnival  of  slaughter,  an  o)' rVj 
headed  in  turn  by  the  demon  of  unreason  and  tho 
lord  of  misrule.  It  furnished  reasons  to  justify 
the  sarcasm  ('f  Mr.  fJerbei't  Spencer,  that  modern 
democracy  is  old  despotism  differently  spelt.  After 
the  autocratic  rule  of  the  king  had  been  successfully 
transformed  into  a  constitutional  monarchy ;  after 
the  constitutional  monarchy  had  been  abolished 
simply  for  the  sake  of  change,  Lewis  X^^I.  beheaded, 
because  he  was  a  king  by  hereditary  descent,  and  in 
order'  that  monarchs,  whom  a  like  accident  had 
placed  upon  a  throne,  might  take  warning  by  his 
fate,  and  Mary  Antoinette  beheaded  /Iso  because  she 
was  a  king's  wife;  after  nobles,  who  had  voluntm-ily 
surrendered  their  hereditary  privileges,  had  been 
executed  l)y  the  hundred  because  they  had  inherited 
and  enjoyed  them;  after  the  established  religion  had 
been  abolished  as  a  malignant  n.'lic  of  monarchy,  and 
its  priests  compelled  to  renoui  'e  the  exercise  of  their 
sacerdotal  functions  under  t'  o  penalty  of  exile  or 
death,  so  that  they  might  clearly  perceive  how  com- 


t\i 


( 


ii 


'(     i 
lit     1 


300 


COLUMDIA    AND    CANADA. 


pletelj  the  vile  diiys  of  superstition  and  religious 
intolerance  had  vanished ;  after  the  unoffending 
seasons  and  days  of  the  week  had  received  new 
names,  and  were  reckoned  after  a  new  fiishion ; 
after  a  republican  clock,  with  the  hours  divided  into 
tenths,  had  been  set  up  over  the  Tuileries,  in  order 
that  the  emancipated  citizens  whom  the  Republican 
guillotine  had  spared  might  have  a  visible  recurring 
proof  of  the  comprehensiveness  of  tlie  alterations 
which  had  been  made  ;  after  the  trammels  of  old 
civility  had  been  discarded,  and  men  were  compelled 
to  use  the  term  "  citizen  "  when  addressinar  their 
neighbours,  and  when  the  happy  time  finally  arrived 
at  which  nothing  was  wanting  to  a  scene  of  unpre- 
cedented confusion  and  distrust,  its  delighted  authors 
resolved  to  confer  upon  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
the  blessings  of  which  their  fellow-countrymen  had 
a  monopoly.  Some  countries  showed  an  unaccount- 
able aversion  to  the  attempts  which  were  made  to 
civilize  them,  and  even  resisted  by  force  of  arms : 
the  Republican  philanthropists  of  regenerated  France 
were  not  the  men  to  be  thwarted  when  on  an  errand 
of  fraternity.  In  the  name  of  holy  liberty  and 
blessed  peace,  they  carried  the  sword  and  the  torch 
throughout  Europe ;  when  tired  but  not  sated  of 
slaughter,  they  incorporated  into  the  Republic  the 
ravaged  lands  of  the  vanquished.  While  earnestly 
engaged  in  their  apostolic  mission  they  were  inter- 
rupted by  Bonaparte  assuming  the  title  of  Emperor 
and  the  habits  of  a  tyrant,  amid  the  acclamations  of 
Republicans  who  had  blustered  about  the  rights  of 
man,  and  had  trodden  liberty  under  foot  whenever 
they  could  do  so  with  im])unity. 

The  second  French   Republic,  like  the  first,  sue- 


w 


mr^ 


tmim 


A    TJKTIJOSrKCT   AND   A    COMPARISON. 


301 


ccoflcd  a  constitutional  monarchy.  The  creation  of 
a  fow  speeches,  it  was  maintained  by  oratory  till  the 
time  came  for  it  to  be  betrayed  by  its  president,  just 
as  the  first  had  been  strangled  by  a  consul.  Before 
the  second  Republic  had  paved  the  way  for  a  secoiui 
empire,  it  had  managed  to  annihilate  the  infant  lie- 
public  of  Rome. 

The  third  Repul)lic  came  into  the  world,  at  the 
bidding  of  a  delirious  Parisian  mob,  on  the  morrow 
of  a  great  national  disaster.  Under  this  free 
Government,  any  citizen  may  summon  a  public 
meeting  if  the  police  give  him  permission ;  he  may 
print  whatever  he  pleases  in  a  newspaper,  provided 
he  publish  nothing  offensive  to  those  in  authority. 
The  duration  of  this  nominal  Republic  depends 
upon  the  desire  of  the  people  of  France  to  live  under 
it.  If  they  really  understand  that  the  want  of  their 
country  is  not  a  saviour  but  self-government,  then 
they  will  uphold  the  third  Republic,  and  convert  it 
into  a  government  worthy  in  all  its  parts  of  a  free 
people. 

Between  the  Republic  in  North  America  and 
other  modern  Republics,  that  of  Switzerland  alone 
excepted,  there  is  not  and  there  never  has  been  any 
similarity  in  essence,  constitution,  and  aim.  Like 
the  British  Constitution,  it  is  "broad-based  upon  the 
people's  will."  I(.  is  as  natural  a  growth  of  the  soil 
as  the  forests  which  once  overspread  the  land.  Its 
definite  form  has  been  the  result  of  a  natural  process 
of  evolution.  Long  l)efore  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  was  framed  tlie  people  exercised  self, 
government,  and  were  trained  to  the  practice  of  self- 
help  in  the  colonies,  which  were  repul)lics  in  all  but 
the  name.     The  chief  product  of  the  Revolution  was 


■f 


•^immmmii 


w 


302 


COLUAIIUA    AND    ('ANADA. 


a  new  flag  and  a  ruler  who,  with  the  title  of  Presi- 
dent, fulfilled  the  functions  of  King.  The  most 
revolutionary  proposals  of  any  citizens  of  the  United 
States  were  firstly,  that  Hebrew  should  be  sub- 
stituted for  Eng'lisli ;  and  secondly,  if  English  were 
retained,  that  the  letters  should  be  turned  upside 
down.  The  most  foolish  thing  done  with  a  patriotic 
intent,  was  the  compilation  of  a  dictionary  in  which 
the  words  were  spelled  so  as  to  have  an  un-English 
look.  Planting  trees  of  liberty,  cutting  off"  the  heads 
of  those  persons  who  were  disliked  by  the  occupants 
of  ofiicial  posts,  a  general  subversion  of  society  and 
social  customs,  never  occurred  to  Washington  and 
Franklin  as  indispensable  prelimhiaries  to  the  esta- 
blishment of  a  form  of  administration  in  which  the 
multitude  was  to  be  the  recognized  Sovereign.  In 
truth,  the  United  States  Republic  has  nothing  in 
common  with  those  funt2:us  Governments  which  v  ux 
i)reat  in  a  single  night,  and  wither  in  a  day.  It  is  a 
goodly  tree  of  slow  growth  and  mature  development 
which  dates  from  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and 
was  planted  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 

AVlien  a  Republic  is  in  question,  there  is  much  or 
little  in  a  name.  Some  Frenchmen  are  not  oidy 
satisfied  but  overjoyed  when  they  live  under  a 
government  to  which  the  name  of  a  Republic  is  given 
in  official  documents.  Such  a  government  may  be 
as  tyrannical  in  maintaining  what  is  called  hi  w  and 
order  as  any  so-called  saviour  of  society;  the 
country  may  be  ruled  from  Paris,  through  the 
arbitrary  intervention  of  prefects,  with  as  much  con- 
tempt for  personal  independence  as  j£  a  Bourbon 
or  a  Bonaparte  were  on  the  throne.  These  men 
are   pleased,   however,    so   long   as   crimes  against 


mmm 


BP^H-S 


tmm 


A    RRTROSPECT    AND 


COMPARISON. 


30:3 


liberty  are  perpetrated  in  the  name  of  a  Re- 
public. 

As  to  tlie  genuineness  of  the  Republic  in  North 
America,  there  never  has  been  any  doubt ;  yet,  so 
long  as  its  a3gis  was  thrown  over  the  crime  of 
slavery,  it  was  impossible  for  its  well-wishers  in  this 
country  to  refrain  from  adverse  and  uncompli- 
mentary criticisTn.  Some  of  the  bitterest  tilings 
said  by  travellers  on  the  American  continent  were 
inspired  by  their  laudable  detestation  of  slavery,  and 
their  observation  of  its  vicious  effects.  These  ex- 
pressions of  opinion  gave  dn^c  offence  to  thousands 
in  the  United  States,  who  heartily  sympathized  with 
the  poor  slaves,  but  who  could  not  brook  fault- 
finding from  a  British  pen.  Others  in  this  country, 
who  regarded  any  Republic  as  a  sort  of  political 
volcano,  lived  in  constant  dread  of  the  mischief 
which  might  be  wrought  by  that  in  North  America, 
notwithstanding  the  distance  which  separated  it 
from  the  British  Isles,  and  they  apprehended  that, 
at  any  moment,  and  in  an  insidious  manner,  ]3ritish 
institutions  might  be  what  they  called  "  Ameri- 
canized." The  latter  dread  is  now  extinct.  If  our 
constitution  were  to  be  "  Americanized "  it  would 
be  rendered  far  less  democratic  than  it  is ;  the 
monarch  would  regain  the  personal  power  which 
George  III.  usurped,  but  which  no  SovereigTi  Avill 
exercise  asfain.  The  British  Constitution  is  now  re- 
stored  to  its  pristine  purity,  and  promises  to  remain 
the  charter  and  the  glory  of  a  free  people  whe;:  h;ilf 
the  capitals  of  Europe  are  as  Nineveh  and  Palmyi-a. 

While  the  Republic  in  North  America  has  been 
regarded  with  suspicion  or  imperfect  appreciation 
for  the  reasons  assigned,  it  has  also  suffered  from 


VIV 


mn 


304 


COLUMCIA    AND   CANADA. 


Ii  I 


ovcr-laudation.  To  proclaim  to  all  the  world 
that  a  particular  form  of  government  is  absolutely 
perfect  is  an  invitation  to  the  sensible  portion 
of  mank'nd  to  inquire  what  are  its  undoubted 
defects.  Well-meaning  but  foolish  persons  used 
to  think  that  they  discharged  a  patriotic  duty 
in  repeating  that  the  British  Constitution  was  the 
quintessence  of  human  wisdom,  and  the  envy  of 
those  persons  Avho  did  not  live  under  it.  Happily, 
the  day  is  gone  by  when  irrational  boasting  of  this 
sort  can  be  heard  w^ith  patience.  Sensible  persons 
who  are  conscious  of  the  excellencies  of  that  Con- 
stitution readily  admit  that  it  is  capable  of  amend- 
ment ;  they  rejoice  to  think  that,  without  detriment 
to  its  spirit,  it  can  be  easily  and  rapidly  moulded 
to  suit  the  wants  of  the  levolving  ages.  Its 
unrivalled  merit  consists  in  an  elasticity  which 
cannot  be  matched,  and  an  adaptability  which  can- 
not be  surpassed.  If  it  be  true  that  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  is  beyond  improvement, 
and  ought  to  be  admired  without  reserve,  it  is  clear 
that  its  difference  from  that  of  Great  Britain  is 
fundamental.  Such  is  the  character  given  to  it  by 
Mr.  Edward  Everett,  one  of  the  orators  whom  the 
citizens  of  Massachusetts  considered  incomparable, 
and  a  statesman  upon  whom  they  conferred  the 
highest  honours  in  their  gift.  In  one  of  his  care- 
fully-prepared addresses  he  says  :  "  We  are  author- 
ized to  assert  that  the  era  of  our  independence 
dates  the  establishment  of  the  only  perfect  organi- 
zation of  Government."  .  .  .  .  "  Our  Government 
is  in  its  theory  perfect,  and  in  its  operation  it  is 
perfect  also.  Thus  we  have  solved  the  great 
problem   in   human  affairs."    .    .    .   .  "  A  frame  of 


A   KErUOSPEUT    AiND   A    COMPARISON. 


305 


government  perfect  in  its  principles,  has  been 
brought  down  from  the  airy  region  of  Utopia,  and 
has  found  a  local  habitation  and  a  name  in  our 
country."  Tiiese  passages  were  composed  and 
spoken  when  slavery  was  a  cherished  institution  of 
the  United  States.  Nor  was  Mr.  Everett  alone  in 
holding  the  opinion  that  everything  had  been 
ordered  for  the  best  in  the  Republic,  which  was 
perfect  in  theory  and  perfect  in  operation. 

In  the  introduction  to  his  llldorij  of  the  United 
States  J  written  in  1834  and  recently  reprinted,  Mv. 
George  Bancroft  recounts  the  peculiar  glories  of  his 
great  country.  He  proudly  says  that  nothing  is 
wanting  in  the  land  over  which  a  favouring  Pi'o- 
vidence  has  uniformly  Avatched :  "  There  is  no 
national  debt;  the  community  is  opulent;  the  Go- 
vernment economical ;  and  the  public  treasury  full." 
Forgetting  the  fact  of  slavery  at  the  time  he  penned 
the  following  words,  he  contends  that  the  United 
States  "  have  the  precedence  in  the  practice  and 
defence  of  the  equal  rights  of  man."  Contrasting 
his  own  nation  with  the  nations  of  Europe,  he  says 
that  while  they  "  aspire  after  change,  our  Consti- 
tution engages  the  fond  admiration  of  the  people, 
by  which  it  was  established.  .  .  .  Other  Govern- 
ments are  convulsed  by  the  innovations  and  reforms 
of  neighboui'ing  states ;  our  Constitution,  fixed  in 
the  affections  of  the  people,  from  Avliose  choice  it 
lias  sprung,  neutralizes  the  iniiuences  of  foreign 
principles,  and  fearlessly  opens  an  asylum  to  the 
virtuous,  the  unfortunate,  and  the  0})prcssed  of 
every  nation.""     Since  Mr.  Bancroft  wrote  this  in- 

'   Iiitroduclion  to  tlio  Centenary  Rdition  of  the  "  History  of  the 
Ihiittnl  Slides."     Uy  Cicorge  Ijaiierol't 


\  i 


306 


COLUMBIA    AND   CANADA. 


•,:    li 


troductioD,  the  immutable  Constitution  has  been 
transformed  :  tlio  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  amend- 
ments have  rendered  it  the  great  charter  of  a  united 
nation ;  when  he  penned  his  eulogium,  it  was  but 
the  charter  of  men  who  boasted  of  having  no  stain 
of  black  blood  in  their  veins  or  on  their  skin. 
Instead  of  sneering  at  the  nations  of  Europe  on 
account  of  the  innovations  and  reforms  which  they 
have  accepted  or  devised  in  their  systems  of  govern- 
ment, Mr.  Bancroft  would  liave  exhibited  more 
philosophy,  and  greater  appreciation  of  what  is 
praiseworthy,  had  he  pointed  out  how  changes  in 
national  constitutions  are  concomitants  of  a  coun- 
try's growth  and  development,  resembling  the 
changes  in  the  human  frame  from  infancy  to 
maturity. 

The  real  drawback  in  the  existing  system  of 
government  in  the  United  States  is  that  a  power 
has  obtained  an  influence  which  thwarts  the  inde- 
pendent action  of  the  Constitution.  Many  a  United 
States  patriot  who  thinks  of  the  interests  of  his 
country  and  has  no  personal  end  in  view,  wli^se 
hands  are  spotless  and  whose  aims  are  laudable,  is 
as  helpless  as  if  he  were  a  citizen  of  the  moon. 
These  t"ue  lovers  of  their  country  are  numbered  by 
the  thousand ;  all  of  them  are  inspired  Avith  a  noble 
ambition  to  counteract  the  designs  and  doingfs  of 
professional  and  knavish  politicians,  and  to  secure 
a  pure  and  praiseworthy  administration  of  public 
atfairs.  Yet  such  men  cannot  work  together  with 
the  unanimity  of  rascals  whose  object  is  to  dip  their 
foul  hands  into  the  public  purse  and  who  are  in- 
different to  the  ftime  of  their  country  so  long  as 
they  are  enriched.     For  nearly  a  century,  the  Union 


mm 


A    RETROSrECT    AND    A    rOMPARTSOX. 


307 


pined  under  the  incubus  of  slavery  :  at  present,  its 
aspirations  towards  a  happier  state  are  counteracted 
by  the  maUgn  effects  of  party  tactics  and  disciphne. 
The  people,  though  nominally  supreme,  appear  to 
be  impotent.  Like  Gulliver  in  the  toils  of  the  Lilli- 
putians, they  are  encompassed  with  a  network  of 
rules  and  arrangements  which  hinders  them  from 
moving  as  their  fancy  dictates.  The  election  of  a 
particular  man  to  a  particular  office  is  primarily  duo 
to  those  men  who  nominate  him  ;  some  electors  are 
the  mere  puppets  of  party  managers.  If  the  best 
men  are  not  uniformly  elected,  that  does  not  prove 
Democracy  to  be  a  farce  or  a  failure,  it  merely 
indicates  that  Democracy  has  been  hoodwinked  or 
outwitted.  For  years  the  people  compromised  with 
the  upholders  of  slavery  rather  than  give  logical 
effect  to  their  convictions.  Party  misgovernment 
may  be  tolerated  in  like  manner  for  a  long  time,  yet 
it  will  share  the  fate  of  slavery  when  the  people 
think  fit  to  pronounce  its  doom. 


The  Fathers  of  the  Republic,  if  they  had  beheld 
it  in  the  grandeur  and  pride  of  its  centenary,  would 
have  been  still  more  surprised  after  comparing  their 
native  land  with  the  other  countries  of  the  civilized 
Gflobe.  Most  of  them  died  in  the  belief  that  time's 
latest  birth  was  the  most  extraordinary  and  eventful, 
that  the  star  of  empire  had  undoubtedly  moved 
westward,  that  the  old  nations  of  Europe  were 
hastening  to  swift  decay.  The  first  century  of  the 
existence  of  the  Republic,  during  which  its  area  has 
been  widened  and  its  power  consolidated,  has  seen 
a  degree  of  progress  in  Europe  equally  marked  and 
marvellous ;  nations  which  Franklin  considered  in  a 


X  2 


30S 


COUIMIUA    ANn   CANADA. 


state  of  iiTomodiablo  docropitiulo  liavinj^  renewed 
tlieir  youth,  and  moved  witli  a  steady  ;ind  imtirini^ 
pace,  alongside  of  their  sanguine  and  histy  competitor, 
in  tlie  march  of  improvement.  The  Europe  of  a 
hundred  years  ago  has  been  transformed  as  completely 
as  tlie  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  face 
of  the  North  American  continent. 

France,  which  avenged  the  overthrow  of  Montcalm 
at  Quebec  by  securing  tlie  capitulation  of  Cornwallis 
at  Yorktown,  has  undergone  many  vicissitudes  since 
then,  has  soared  higli  in  the  elation  of  great  triumphs 
and  been  humiliated  in  the  dust  by  crushing  reverses, 
has  been  the  victor  before  whom  proud  nations  have 
trembled  and  the  vanquished  tyrant  to  whom  these 
nations  have  prescribed  humiliating  terms,  has 
conquered  when  men  predicted  that  her  strength 
was  illusory,  and  been  overthrown  when  the  belief 
in  her  strength  was  universal,  has  astounded  tlio 
world  by  unexampled  fortitude  in  the  dark  hour  of 
bitter  trial  and  unexpected  mishap,  maintaining  her 
prestige  after  disasters  under  which  less  favoured 
nations  would  have  succumbed.  Italy  has  been  con- 
verted from  a  name  in  ancient  history  and  in  modern 
geography  into  one  of  the  Great  Powers  of  Europe. 
Germany,  which  in  former  days  was  but  a  congeries 
of  petty  princii)alities  without  cohesion  and  Avitliout 
a  head,  has  become  an  empire  hardly  less  powerful 
and  compact  than  the  defunct  empire  of  Rome.  By 
the  abolition  of  serfdom,  Russia  has  acquired  a  title 
to  something  more  admirable  than  that  of  an  empire 
in  which  real  barbarism  was  concealed  under  a  little 
French  polish.  Holhmd  still  confines  herself,  as  in 
the  days  when  she  was  the  banker  of  the  struggling 
Republic  in  America,  to  making  money  in  place  of 


A    T^ETROSPEPT    AND    A    POMrAT^ISOX. 


300 


niming  at,  conqiiosts ;  slio  has  soon  the  kinpfdom  of 
liolo-iiim  carved  out  of  her  territory  almost  without 
a  sigh.  The  Fathers  of  the  Republic  might  regard 
witli  interest  the  success  which  has  attended  the 
adaptation  of  the  Brit'sh  constitution  to  the  latter 
kingdom.  They  would  sec  with  satisfaction  that 
Greece  was  no  longer  in  subjection  to  the  Turk, 
thongh  they  miglit  regret  that  this  historic  kingdom 
enjoyed  independence  at  the  expense  of  its  creditors. 
They  would  find  S[iain  stripped  of  her  vast 
yiossessions  in  South  America  and  expending  her 
energies,  not  in  attempts  at  universal  conquest,  but 
in  ]>eriodical  revolutions.  Turning  to  the  old 
Spanish  Colonies  which  arc  now  petty  Republics, 
they  would  seriously  doubt  whether  the  anarchy 
prin'ailiiig  among  them  is  an  actual  improvement  on 
the  despotism  of  earlier  days.  They  would  observe 
with  natural  surprise  that  an  em})ire  in  South 
America  had  set  an  example  to  all  these  Republics  in 
financial  honesty  and  in  good  government,  and 
prospered  equally  whether  its  head  be  at  homo  or 
travelling  in  distant  lands.  If  they  inquired  about 
the  Republic  of  Liberia  they  would  learn,  with 
mingled  feelings,  that  negroes  had  established  it 
and  had  imitated  one  of  the  worst  blunders  of  white 
men  by  ordaining  that  none  but  a  negro  should  hold 
office.  In  their  survey  of  the  world  thev  would 
behold  the  British  Empire  at  every  turn.  Franklin 
likened  that  empire  to  a  beautiful  china  vase  Avhich, 
when  once  broken  was  rendered  unattractive  and 
valueless.  In  his  eyes,  the  secession  of  the  Thirteen 
Colonies  had  given  a  shock  to  it  from  which  recovery 
was  impossible ;  before  he  died  he  thought  that  it 
had  become  a  splendid  fragment  of  a  magnificent 


310 


COLUMTIIA    AST)   CANADA. 


wliolc.  Since  tlion  it  has  absorbed  the  empire  of  the 
Moguls  and  found  in  Australasia  and  Soutli  Africa, 
in  the  Mediterranean,  the  Atlantic,  and  the  P.'icific 
such  an  accession  of  territory  and  renown  as  would 
have  astounded  the  sedate  philosopherof  Philadelphia. 
Yet  the  present  vastness  of  that  empire  would  bo 
less  opposed  to  the  preconceived  notions  of  tlio 
Fathers  of  the  Republic  than  tlie  manner  in  which  it 
is  now  governed.  They  would  find  a  colonial  policy 
in  operation  of  which  the  leading  principle  is  to 
permit  the  colonists  to  liave  tlieir  own  way  in  their 
own  concerns,  and  of  which  the  result  has  been  to 
make  the  subjects  of  Queen  Victoria  on  the  continents 
of  North  America,  Australasia,  South  Africa,  and  in 
the  islands  of  the  Atlantic,  Pacific,  and  Indian 
Oceans,  the  most  enthusiastic  and  energetic  upholders 
of  the  fabric  of  the  empire  over  which  she  rules. 
The  changes  in  the  Parliament  of  tlie  United 
Kingdom  would  appear  to  them  almost  incredible ; 
they  would  be  inclined  to  doubt  the  testimony  of 
their  senses.  Writing  to  Dr.  Price  in  1780, 
Franklin  pronounced  the  Parliamentary  abuses  to  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  ordinary  remedies,  a  revolution 
being  the  only  cure,  and  this  he  considered  the  people 
too  craven  to  achieve.  In  default  of  such  a  heroic 
remedy  being  employed,  he  predicted  that  the  nation 
would  continue  "to  be  plundered  and  obliged  to  pay, 
by  taxes,  the  plunderers  for  plundering  and  ruining." 
Without  any  more  serious  revolution  than  that  which 
can  be  effected  by  a  few  Acts  of  Parliament,  what 
Franklin  deemed  alike  indispensable  and  impossible 
has  been  accomplished.  These  twin  sisters  of 
iniquity,  parliamentary  corruption  and  government 
patronage,  are  now  among  the  traditions  of  an  age 


A    KETROSPECT   AND   A    COMPARISON. 


311 


.ibout  wliich  tlio  rising  generation  in  this  country 
reads  Avitli  a  mixture  of  astonishment  and  increduhty. 
A  k^gishiture  more  free  than  that  of  Britain  from  the 
taint  or  even  tlie  suspicion  of  corruption  does  not 
exist.  The  representation  of  the  people  is  not  yet 
theoretically  perfect;  it  would  be  difficult,  liowever, 
to  name  any  other  nation  wlierein  the  popular  control 
over  its  rulers  is  more  direct  and  complete  than  in 
the  United  Kingdom.  Nowhere  can  personal  merit 
succeed  with  greater  ease  and  certainty  in  obtaining 
an  office  of  honour  and  emolument  in  the  military 
or  civil  service  of  the  country ;  it  is  sufficient  to  pass 
the  requisite  examination  to  obtain  a  commission  in 
the  army  or  a  place  under  government.  If  George 
the  Third  were  to  unite  with  the  Fathers  of  the 
Kepublic  in  comparing  the  present  condition  of  his 
country  and  theirs,  he  would  unquestionably  arrive 
at  the  conclusion  that  the  power  which  ho  loved  to 
exercise  and  the  patronage  which  he  liked  to 
dispense,  could  alone  be  enjoyed  in  full  measure  at 
Washington,  and  that  if  he  wished  to  act  as  a 
Sovereign  after  his  own  heart,  he  must  become 
President  of  the  United  States.  Having  made  them- 
selves thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  existing  condi- 
tion of  the  civihzed  world,  the  Fathers  of  the  Re- 
public might  ask  themselves  whether  they  ought  not 
to  modify  some  old  opinions  and  disavow  certain  pre- 
judices which  they  once  cherished  as  incontrovertible 
truths.  That  the  North  American  Republic  was  a 
light  shining  in  the  darkness,  that  its  constitution 
first  proclaimed  and  secured  the  rights  of  man,  that 
the  rest  of  the  world  had  been  mired  in  a  slough  of 
ignorance  and  misery  from  which  extrication  was  well- 
nigh  impossible,  was  the  dismal  creed  of  the  founders 


312 


COLUMlllA    AND   CANADA. 


of  tlic  Uniti'd  States,  and  of  tlioir  inuiiudiatu 
successors.  They  were  convinced  tliat  the  keys  of 
tlio  future  liad  been  given  by  a  favouring  rrovidcnco 
into  their  liands,  tliat  they  had  been  predestined 
to  teacli  tlie  nations  how  to  live.  The  United 
States  occn[)y  a  conspicuous  place  in  tlie  grand  pro- 
cession of  the  nations;  but  they  have  not  led  the 
van. 

Jn  the  performances  which  constitute  the  merit 
and  glory  of  a  pt>ople,  the  progenitor  of  the  United 
States  can  still  atl'ord  to  challenge  rivalry.  She  was 
foremost  in  abolishing  slavery.  In  relieving  trade 
and  commerce  from  the  shackles  of  a  selfish  and 
immoral  policy,  which  generally  assumes  the  seduc- 
tive disguise  of  true  patriotism,  she  took  a  step  in 
advance  which  no  nation  has  yet  had  the  boldness  to 
follow.  Franklin  advocated  the  freedom  of  industiy ; 
Washington  fought,  and  fought  successfully  for  it. 
When  the  suggestion  is  now  made  by  British  writers 
that  the  original  policy  of  the  great  Republic  should 
prevail,  many  of  its  citizens  denounce  the  proposal  as 
insidious,  and  sneer  at  Free  trade  fanatics,  to  v/honi 
purity  of  motive  is  denied,  just  as  it  v/as  to  the 
abolitionists  of  New  England  who  were  formerly 
persecuted  to  the  death,  chiefly  because  their  argu- 
ments were  borrowed  from  Great  Britain.  Those 
persons  who  beheve  that  the  world  is  ruled  by 
moral  forces,  who  hold  that  the  truth  must  prevail 
against  the  protected  manufacturer  as  it  has  douo 
against  the  protected  slaveholder,  who  condemn 
the  slavery  of  the  pocket  as  well  as  that  of  the 
person,  who  sympathize  with  the  consumer  suffer- 
ing from  the  blight  of  protection  just  as  they  did 
with  the  poor  dark-skinned   producer  who  groaned 


A    liETKOSPECT   AND   A    COMI'AIUSON. 


31.*] 


lii 

ill! 

10 

ir- 
lid 

3d 


under  tlio  yoko  of  slavery,  can  afford  to  wait  in 
pationce  tbo  inovitablo  end,  being  certain  tliat  justice 
is  omnipotent. 

Fiscal  policy  apart,  witli  wliicli  patriotic  citizens 
of  the  United  States  are  fully  competent  to  deal,  tbo 
desires  and  ideals  of  tbo  two  great  sections  of  wbat 
is  called  tbo  Anglo-Saxon  race  are  one  in  essence 
and  aim.  If  tbo  brotberbood  of  man  be  not  a  mvvo 
pbrase,  and  if  tbo  natural  affinity  of  kindred  races 
be  tbe  paramount  factor  in  civilization  tbat  pbilom- 
pbors  allege,  then  tbat  race  should  agree  to  work  in 
concert  for  a  common  end.  A  wish  to  do  so  is  tbe 
first  requisite.  About  tbo  readiness  of  tbe  United 
Kingdom  to  co-operate  in  the  benign  work,  there  can 
be  no  question.  Indeed,  this  has  been  demonstrated 
by  speeches  from  statesmen  of  tbe  highest  class, 
such  as  Earl  Granville,  Mr.  John  Bright,  and  ]\li'. 
W.  E.  Forster ;  by  addresses  and  writings  of  men  of 
letters  and  science,  such  as  Lord  Houghton,  ISh: 
R.  H.  Hutton,  j\rr.  Thomas  Hughes,  Mr.  F^dward 
Dicey,  Sir  Charles  Dilke,  Professor  Huxley,  and 
Professor  Tyndall ;  of  divines  like  Dean  Stanley, 
Principal  Tullocb,  and  Dr.  Martineau ;  of  great 
philosophers,  such  as  Mr.  Herbert  Spebcer  and  tbo 
late  John  Stuart  ]\Iill.  Nor  can  one  political 
party  now  lay  claim  to  a  monopoly  of  right 
feeling  in  this  matter.  No  more  friendly  or  moie 
judicious  speeches  have  ever  been  uttered  in  our  day 
about  tbe  United  States  than  those  which  the  Earl  of 
Beaconsfield,  Lord  Derby,  Lord  Carnarvon,  and  Sii* 
Stafford  Nortbcote  have  delivered.  Most  significant 
of  all,  not  as  a  mere  harbinger,  but  as  a  confirmation 
of  change,  was  an  admirable  article  in  tbe  Quartfirh/ 
Review  for  July,  1876.     In  tbat  venerable  organ  of 


P5«»S! 


mmmm 


314 


COLUMBIA   AND   CANADA. 


EngHsii  Conservatism,  the  cai'oer  of  the  Republic  in 
North  America  was  sketched  in  an  appreciative 
spirit  and  the  wish  was  enunciated  that  a  cordial 
and  close  association  between  the  two  English-speak- 
ing powers  of  the  earth  should  bo  substituted  for 
the  mutual  misunderstanding  and  jealousy  which 
marred  their  relations  in  bygone  days. 

These  expressions  of  amity  are  heartily  recipro- 
cated by  the  most  cultured  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  Tliey  know,  as  the  noble  poet,  Whitticr, 
lias  finely  phrased  it,  that— - 

"  Tliiekor  tlniii  water,  in  one  rill, 

Tlirough  centuries  of  story, 
Our  Saxon  blood  has  flow'd,  and  still 
Wo  share  with  you  the  s^ood  and  ill, 

The  shadow  and  the  glory." 

One  thing,  however,  is  lacking.  The  people  of 
the  United  States  are  wont  to  pi-ide  themselves  on 
tlieir  dissimilarity  from  their  fellows  in  the  land 
of  their  forefathers ;  they  exaggerate  tlie  trivial 
points  of  difference  and  overlook  the  substan- 
tial facts  of  resemblance  between  the  Governments 
under  which  both  have  flourished,  being  apparently 
unaware  how  much  rational  monarchy  is  sanctioned 
by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  how 
much  rational  Republicanism  is  contained  in  the 
British  Constitution.  Till  tlie  school  books,  from 
which  children  born  in  the  great  Republic  are  taught 
the  annals  of  their  cou':try,  shall  be  recast  in  a 
spirit  the  reverse  of  that  which  has  hitherto  animated 
tlieir  compilers,  many  incidents  which  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  sink  into  oblivion  will  continue  to  foster 
miscliievous  errors  and  almost  ineradicable  prejudices 
in  youthful  minds. 


A  RETROSPECT  AND  A  COMPARISON. 


315 


I  disbolievo  in  the  specific  virtue  of  a  treaty.  An 
ambitious  nation  can  dispense  with  a  declaration  of 
good  intentions  wiien  resolved  to  maintain  harmony 
with  its  equal  in  power  and  spirit.  Never  has  a 
nation,  bent  upon  waging  Avar  and  confident  of  vic- 
tory, been  frustrated  by  diplomatic  protests  against 
a  breach  of  solemn  sti})ulations.  Irrational  and 
sanguinary  wars  have  originated  in  an  alleged  disre- 
gard of  some  article  in  the  treaty  which  not  only 
restored  peace  to  countries  lamenting  tre;isure 
squandered,  resources  impaired  and  hearths  made 
desolate,  but  which  was  also  designed  to  serve  as 
a  covenant  of  perpetual  friendship.  What  the  de- 
spoiled and  perplexed  Seminole  Chief  said  of  treaties 
between  a  nation  of  white  men  and  a  tribe  of  Indians 
applies  to  treaties  in  general :  "  The  white  man's 
for  ever  does  not  last  long  enou":h." 

If  a  ''loser  tie  is  to  bind  together  the  two  P]nglish- 
speaking  nations,  something  more  durable  tlian  a 
treaty  ought  to  form  the  nexus  between  them.  A 
great  scheme  of  Confederation  has  been  proposed  ; 
but  no  agreement  as  to  its  terras  has  yet  been 
arrived  at.  Better  than  any  treaty,  far  simpler  than 
such  a  scheme,  and  a  prelude  to  ulio  adoption  of  one 
hereafter,  would  be  an  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  the 
United  Kingdom  and  an  ^Vmendmcnt  to  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States,  giving  to  citizens  of  tlio 
llepublic,  and  subjects  of  Queen  Victoria  common 
citizenship  in  the  Anglo-American  Empire.  In- 
cluding subsidiary  yet  indispnnsable  details,  such  a 
change  would  bo  significant  rather  than  great. 
After,  as  before  it,  the  two  countries  would  preserve 
their  identity  and  independence  ;  but  their  inhabi- 
tants could  then  cherish   the   assurance  that  they 


m^m 


^!wimmmmm 


316 


COLUMBIA   AND   CAyADA. 


stood  in  closer  fellowship  to  each  other  than  to  the 
rest  of  tlie  human  race,  and  that,  though  repre- 
senting two  nations,  they  were  in  reality  but  one 
people.  Continuing  to  be  rivals  everywhere,  they 
would  cease  to  be  aliens  throughout  that  vast  area 
of  the  globe  where  the  Star-spangled  banner  and 
the  Union  Jack  bear  witness  that  it  is  consecrated 
to  freedom. 

The  land  of  Abraxa,  under  the  wise  administration 
of  Utopus,  was  transformed  into  the  happy  Re- 
public, and  has  since  then  borne  his  name.  That 
community,  though  far  from  perfect,  is  constantly 
cited  as  the  type  of  what  good  men  desire,  and  what 
no  man  can  accomplish.  It  is  needless  to  aim  at 
repeating  the  imaginary  achievement  of  Utopus  in 
order  to  increase  the  sum  of  human  well-being.  If 
the  people  of  the  North  American  Republic  and 
of  the  British  Empire  were  uniformly  to  act  in  con- 
formity and  concord,  on  all  questions  of  international 
relationship,  they  would  not  only  advance  their  own 
interests,  pursue  their  noblest  a'^pirations  and  set 
an  inestimable  example,  but  they  would  also  mate- 
rially contribute  to  justify  the  hopes  of  ardent  and 
sanguine  philanthropists  that,  in  a  happier  and 
more  enlightened  future,  mankind  will  rejoice  over 
the  peaceable  establishment  of  the  United  States 
of  the  World.  When  all  nations  agree  to  dwell 
together  in  unity,  Paradise  will  be  regained. 


THE    END. 


GILBEBT   AND    lilVlNGXON,  PEINTEU8,    6T.   JOUN'S    SQUAKB.,    LONDON. 


7V 


